


Glee Reprise 1x01: Reprise

by Sparky_Young_Upstart



Series: Glee Reprise [1]
Category: Glee
Genre: (not to the degree that I tagged graphic violence but it could still be triggering), Angst, Canon Compliant, Car Accidents, Deaf Character, Estranged Siblings, Future Fic, Gen, Improper Chest Binding, Musical References, Sequel, strained sibling relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2020-11-26 04:36:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 26,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20924273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sparky_Young_Upstart/pseuds/Sparky_Young_Upstart
Summary: Ever since Rachel's Tony win, she's become a broadway star and never looked back. But things change when Shelby and Beth are involved in a terrible accident. Suddenly Rachel is abandoning New York for Akron so that she can take care of Beth.Beth would like nothing to do with her so-called sister. But when she fails to secure a spot on Vocal Adrenaline, Rachel finds a way to start a new glee club for her right across the street in a run-down community centre. It's going to be a tough road, with egos clashing and relationships straining, but Rachel is certain that she and Beth can make it through.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The glee anniversary both earlier this year and this past September have brought up a lot of feelings and I spent a good two weeks hyperfocusing on old glee stuff. The result is this fic, looking at what a potential glee sequel series could be. It's set in 2025, right as Beth would be entering High School, and as such assumes several things - like pop culture and most of society remaining pretty similar to the way things are now, but also probably a tad better in terms of the president and environment.
> 
> Anyways hope y'all enjoy, and as this goes on I hope the rest of you enjoy what's mostly an OC fic running on my eclectic musical tastes.

The reception hall glittered with all the lights necessitated by a gathering of Broadway’s best and brightest. From the gilded walls to the sparkling jewelry of the guests present, everything shone brighter than the stars. Even after all these years, the glamour of it all was still something Rachel was getting used to. It had been five years since her Tony win, ten since she left Lima for a permanent life in New York, over fifteen since the story of New Directions began, but deep down she considered herself a small town girl. She had to, otherwise she was worried she might fall headfirst into the egomania that had sabotaged her throughout high school. No, the Rachel Berry that everyone would meet was humble, gracious, kind, and positive. At least she hoped that was the case.

“You’re drink, darling,” she heard Jesse say as he returned to her side with two flutes of champagne. Rachel smiled reflexively at her husband.

“Thank you,” she answered as she took one and took a sip. “How’s the birthday star?”

“Oh, Leslie’s having the time of his life. He’s still doing the rounds, but he’s glad we could make it tonight.”

“Well of course, we wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Rachel smiled. The couple began moving through the crowd, giving small nods and waving hello to their friends and peers as they passed. The one haughty thing Rachel allowed herself to think was that she and Jessie were on their way to Broadway royalty. Almost. But they had enough credits between the two of them that people noticed them.

“Rachel! Jesse!” Rachel turned and saw one of her (many) best friends come up to her and pull her into a hug.

“Ben! Oh, it’s so good to see you!” Rachel said as she hugged Ben Platt back. “How are you!”

“I’m great! You look great! You both look great,” he answered with a grin. “Are Kurt and Blaine here too?” he asked, peering around them.

Jessie shook his head. “No, I’m afraid they couldn’t make it. Blaine’s probably exhausted from performing in the _Narnia_ musical.”

“I haven’t seen that yet! I’ve heard it’s good though” Ben said.

Jesse shrugged. “It’s alright. The choreo could’ve used a few adjustments.”

Rachel smirked and jokingly slapped her husband’s arm. “Oh please, you’re just jealous that Blaine was cast and you weren’t.”

Jesse’s eye twitched a little. “I would have made an excellent Mr. Tumnus.”

“I’m sure you would’ve, sweetie. It’s the hair.”

Ben nodded along with Rachel. “She’s right, it’s very good hair. I suppose Kurt’s busy too,” he continued, “what with his Pippa Middleton musical. Which draft is he on now? Three?”

“Five,” Rachel and Jesse answered simultaneously. Rachel chuckled and continued, “He’s been working on it since high school. I hope this is the version that sticks; he sequestered himself in his apartment and I haven’t seen him three weeks.”

Ben nodded. “Seems like the grind never stops for us them. Which is the shame, because they usually jump at the chance to get away from the kids for a few hours. Speaking of which, any news on that front for the two of you?”

That question, always the same question. Rachel and Jesse froze for a moment, a near-telepathic exchange occurring between them as they prepared their answer. “We’re focusing on our careers right now,” Rachel said with a plastic smile. “But we’re excited for the opportunity when it presents itself.” They smiled at each other and their stock reply, clasping hands and presenting a united front.

Ben nodded and took a sip of his vodka sour. He’d been on the receiving end of the answer several times, and believed it as much as he believed that Mercedes Jones’ debut album deserved to be snubbed at the Grammys. Which is to say, not much at all. But he still smiled at them and excused himself. Why let petty Broadway rumours get in the way of two people who clearly loved each other, even if their situation was...precarious? Sure. That seemed like the right word.

After Ben was out of earshot, Rachel turned to Jessie. “Do you think we should call it quits?”

Jesse choked on his champagne. “Call - Rachel - call what quits, exactly?”

“The whole ‘having kids’ thing. It’s gone on for so long and I feel terrible keeping people’s hopes up for our sake.”

Jessie looked around, and pulled Rachel closer to the corner of the room, away from prying and musically-trained ears. “Rachel, first off, don’t scare me like that. Secondly, if you want to go public than I’m behind you one hundred percent, but I don’t think you should do it because of other people’s pressure. And I thought you still wanted kids some day?”

Rachel sighed. “I do! I’d love to have kids. But that option isn’t on the table. It hasn’t been for a while now, and it probably won’t be for a long time.” She downed the rest of her drink. “I don’t regret giving Blaine and Kurt my last egg, and even if I had known how low I was when they asked I probably would have done it anyways.”

Jesse nodded. “As you’ve mentioned, but your ovarian situation isn’t the be-all and end-all of this situation. We can adopt.”

“A process which takes forever to get through, and even longer while you’re in a long-running show and I have a callback next week for the _Chess_ revival.” Rachel stood up tall and walked past Jesse, beginning a climb up a dramatic staircase.

He took a breath and followed her closely. “I don’t want to accuse you of hiding something, but I would like to point out that Blaine and Kurt are doing just fine with _three_ kids - and a dog - and they are just as busy as we are.”

Rachel stopped to face her husband. “Are they though? They work hard and I love them - _but_ \- they’re not on our level. No offence to Klaine, but we’re different.” She stomped off and left Jesse with a mild case of emotional whiplash. He wanted to go after Rachel, but he also knew that she had to work through her bigger emotions on her own time, but he _also_ wanted to know just what it was that had her convinced that their potential for having a family together was suddenly null and void. He wished he could say that their marriage didn’t need children to work, because that was the truth, but he also knew that if he said that then she’d just go along with it and keep any feelings inside her until they came out. Messily, and likely in song.

Meanwhile, Rachel found herself on the upper floor overlooking the hall. She tried to collect her emotions but she had nowhere to put them right now. Even if she chose to make a scene and unleash everything inside her at Jesse, she couldn’t articulate it properly. Even she couldn’t put a name to why she felt the way she did. Fortunately, she was broken out of her thoughts by a hand on her shoulder. “Rachel?” Leslie Odom Jr asked.

She turned and immediately was back to Broadway-starlt-and-best-friend-mode Rachel Berry. “Leslie! Hi!” She gave him a tight hug. “How are you?”

“Oh, I’m great. Listen, you are just the person I was looking for. I don’t mean to intrude, but I was wondering if you’d like to sing something for us?”

Rachel smiled and held her heart. “Oh, of course! I would be honoured to sing at your birthday party. And of course, I always have a little something prepared in case of emergencies.”

“I expect nothing less!” Leslie declared as he led Rachel to the podium, holding her purse for her as she took a spot behind him. Once there he took the microphone. “Excuse me! My I have your attention!” The conversations dimmed and a calm silence took over the hall as everyone turned to Leslie and Rachel standing at the highest point of the hall. “First of all I want to thank you all for coming to help me celebrate my birthday tonight.” He started to continue but paused so a small wave of applause could pass through the crowd. “Obviously with a crowd like this there’s going to be singing eventually, and I figured there was no one better to start us off than the one and only, legendary, Rachel Berry!”

* * *

The lights of Akron’s downtown flashed past Shelby and her daughter as they drove home. “So, how did you like the show?” Shelby asked.

Beth beamed, and her ethereal blonde hair made the effect even brighter. “It was awesome! Vocal Adrenaline is _amazing_ and I can’t wait to join them!”

Shelby couldn’t help but laugh at her daughter’s enthusiasm. “And I can’t wait to see you on that stage in a glee club. Assuming you ace your audition of course.”

Beth mock gasped. “Mom! Are you suggesting that I’m not going to get into Vocal Adrenaline?!” she said with fake horror, only barely keeping a laugh restrained. Shelby didn’t restrain herself, letting out another laugh.

“Well, they do have _very_ high standards. They only let people in who are perfect. So...yeah. I think you actually have a pretty good shot.” She squeezed Beth’s shoulder comfortingly. “But I want you to remember, it’s more important to have fun than to just win. Don’t stop believing in yourself just because somebody tells you you’re not good enough to join their little club.” She turned and smiled at Beth. “And certainly don’t stop singing.”

“As if I could stop. You told me yourself, I’ve been destined for show choir since I came out of the womb.” Beth may not have had much interaction with her birth parents since she was really little, and she didn’t remember any of the times they’d visited. But she’d heard stories about how they had both been in their school’s Glee Club (which since then had transformed into one of the best performing arts schools in Ohio) and had headlined numbers at every level of competition. Not to mention her adoptive mom was a notable show choir coach, and _her_ daughter was one of Broadway’s best and brightest.

Beth had met Rachel Berry a few times, more than she’d met Quinn and Puck, but not enough to make a lasting impact. She didn’t want to judge her, since the last time she’d seen her she was only ten, but she seemed pretty full of herself. Yeah, she was a shining star and all that, but even as a preteen Beth knew that Rachel was...well, she was a lot.

But that didn’t matter right now. Beth didn’t really consider anyone family outside of Shelby, and just the two of them was plenty. After the rising cost of living had pushed them out of New York they returned to Shelby’s hometown. She didn’t want to get involved with full-time coaching again, so she made her living as a professional vocal trainer in Akron and the surrounding areas. She even spent time at McKinley when asked. And all that time, she helped Beth hone her singing, dancing, and theatrical skills.

And now, everything was coming to a head. In just over a month Beth would be entering high school and joining Vocal Adrenaline, the first step in her path to stardom. She knew it was going to be hard, be a huge step above what was asked of her in middle school, normal choir classes, and summer stage, but she was destined for greatness. And she wasn’t about to let anything slow her down.

Neither of them were prepared for the drunk driver careening through the red light as they entered the intersection.

* * *

Leslie stepped aside as the crowd cheered, and when Rachel came up to the mic she could spot Jesse watching her from the ground level. He wasn’t mad. Good. She didn’t want to drive a wedge between them, even if they were going through a rough patch. Besides, he loved to hear her sing, and she loved singing with him.

“Thank you for asking me to perform tonight, Leslie,” Rachel announced as she smiled to the host and all his guests. “This song my not exactly be birthday related, but it is one of my favourites.

_Mama who bore me_

_Mama who gave me_

_No way to handle things_

_Who made me so sad_

_Mama, the weeping_

_Mama, the angels_

_No sleep in Heaven, or Bethlehem_

* * *

Beth heard glass shatter and metal crunch, but it all happened so fast that she didn’t fully comprehend what was happening. Her head jerked back and forth, her seatbelt going taught and pressing her into the passenger seat of Shelby’s car. A sharp pain burst from her cheek as she bit it, but it was soon overshadowed by an overwhelming soreness radiating from her body.

* * *

_Some pray that, one day, Christ will come a-callin'_

_They light a candle, and hope that it glows_

_And some just lie there, crying for him to come and find them_

_But when he comes, they don't know how to go_

* * *

Beth wanted to cry out for her mom, but they were still in motion and she choked on the words. She saw a brown blur as her mom’s head careened back and forth, her hair flying everywhere. Crimson flashed from her side of the vehicle and splattered across Beth’s face. And the whole time, the bright lights of the truck that had t-boned them bore down on the two of them, illuminating everything.

* * *

_Mama who bore me_

_Mama who gave me_

_No way to handle things_

_Who made me so bad_

_Mama, the weeping_

_Mama, the angels_

_No sleep in Heaven, or Bethlehem_

* * *

And suddenly they had stopped moving. Beth was shaking, too afraid to even move. Finally she was able to turn her quivering head in her mother’s direction.

Shelby Corcoran lay motionless, the left side of her body crumpled in with the car as the lights of the truck bore down on the grisly scene. Blood flowed freely from the side of her head, and her chest only barely moved up and down. Beth finally found her broth. “Mom?” she tried to call out, but realized it was just a whisper. She tried again. “M-mom?” A little louder, as her tears started to come. “Mom! _Mom!_”

* * *

Rachel smiled and stepped down to raucous applause. She curtseyed and smiled and waved to everyone just like she always did after a performance, even a small one like that. And of course, Jesse was smiling and clapping along with everyone else as he walked up to her. “Great performance, Mrs. Berry.” He leaned in close to kiss her cheek and whisper “Sorry about before. I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

Rachel shrugged. “It’s fine. We should have that discussion. But there will be plenty of time for that later.” She turned to Leslie as he came up to her.

“Wonderful, as always. Thank you Rachel,” he said as he handed her purse back.

“Anything for you, Leslie,” Rachel replied. She felt a slight vibration in her purse as Leslie left to mingle with the rest of the guests. She pulled her phone out, and saw a number she didn’t recognize. She frown in concern, but answered it anyway. “Rachel Berry speaking, may I ask who this is?”

“Mrs. Berry, this is Doctor Brennan calling from Akron General Hospital. I’m afraid there’s been an accident.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song featured in this chapter: "Mama Who Bore Me" from _Spring Awakening_. Sung by Rachel.


	2. Chapter 2

As the batter hit the pan, Rachel began humming under her breath. It was just a random ditty, but eventually it evolved into “Defying Gravity”. She smiled. She’d done something similar on her first day of high school, except back then it was her dads making her the pancakes and Rachel was belting the song from her bedroom. Beth’s bedroom, in turn, was pretty silent today. In fact, it had been silent ever since Rachel had arrived. But that was to be expected, Rachel figured. And as far as she knew, Beth preferred to save her voice for major competitions and auditions, which was just as valid a method as her own.

Still, it would be nice to have some semblance of what a normal day around the Corcoran house was like. The first week that she’d arrived had been pure chaos as she went between the house, the hospital, and the hotel. Beth was cleared after a few days (she was lucky she only had a few superficial injuries), but she refused to leave her mother’s side for several days. It was only with school looming overhead that Rachel was able to convince Beth that she should spend some time at home, and Rachel moved in with her.

In her room, Beth looked at her outfit for the seventh time that morning. Or maybe seventeenth? She wanted something that said she was strong, but not so strong that she didn’t care her mother had been rendered comatose by a drunk driver. It had to be up to the strict standards of Vocal Adrenaline, which meant she had to pick from the nicest side of her closet. And it had to elicit no commentary from Rachel whatsoever, because if the older woman said one word in favour or against the outfit Beth would lose her mind. She went with a short-sleeved green blouse with lace at the front, and a darker green skirt. She had some white flats that would match it all well. And to tie the look together, a white bow in her wavy blonde hair.

She walked down the hallway to find Rachel making pancakes. Beth grimaced and tried to bypass the kitchen entirely, but the floorboard creaked and Rachel spun around. “Oh, good morning! Are you excited for your first day of school?” She didn’t wait for a response. “I know these last few weeks have been a pain, but I wanted to make you something special. By the way, where do you guys keep the syrup?”

Beth walked in slowly, leaning on one of the chairs at the table. “We’re out. Mom was planning on picking some up the day after.” She sighed. She didn’t have to specify “after what”. They both knew.

Rachel nodded carefully. “Okay. Darn. I’ll add that to the paper.” She grabbed a pen from the counter and added it to a steadily growing list of things that Shelby hadn’t gotten around to that hung from the fridge by a magnet, then opened the door to look inside. “In the meantime...hmm...aha!” She pulled out a carton of strawberries. “Fresh fruit! An apt substitute, I’m sure.”

Beth frowned. “I’m...just going to have cereal if that’s okay.”

Rachel nodded. “Of course! Whatever you want. It’s your big day, after all.”

Beth gave a weak smile. “You mentioned that.” She reached around Rachel to get milk out of the fridge and poured herself a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Rachel, in turn, placed some strawberries on top of a large, dry pancake and sat down across the table from her.

“So, I was thinking after school and the audition and visiting mom, we could go down to the theatre?” Rachel asked chipperly. “The new _Starlight Express_ movie is supposed to be really good.”

Beth scoffed. “I heard it was awful.” In truth, Beth had heard a little of both, and kind of wanted to see if it was actually good, or just so-bad-it’s-good. But she absolutely did not want to be stuck in the theatre with Rachel for two hours in some kind of fake-family farce. “And I’m going to visit mom with Monica after my audition.” Rachel opened her mouth to say something, but Beth cut her off. “And then we’re having a sleepover at her house.”

Rachel closed her mouth and nodded. “Okay. And Monica is your friend I’m assuming?”

“_Best_ friend,” Beth clarified. “She’s been away all summer.”

“Well, then as long as her parents are alright with it -”

“They are,” Beth replied pointedly. “Ever since we were five.” She drank the last of her sugary milk and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “You don’t have to worry about checking in on me or my plans. I can handle that stuff.”

Rachel frowned. “Well, I should have some idea of what you’re doing. I know we’re not as close as we’d like to be but as long as you’re mom’s in the hospital I’m your legal guardian.” Rachel wasn’t sure why it was her and not someone in Beth and Shelby’s own lives, or even Quinn, but the person who had listed Rachel as both emergency contact and emergency caregiver wasn’t able to talk to anyone right now. Beth hated it. She would much rather stay with the Yangs and Monica, but apparently that was out of the picture. So for the time being, Rachel and Beth were stuck with each other.

“I need to get my bag,” Beth said as she stood, “and then we should get going soon. Traffic gets bad on Monday mornings.” She walked swiftly to her room and shut the door a little hard. Rachel grimaced, then ate a slice of pancake with a strawberry on top. Even with the fruit it was still incredibly dry. Rachel gagged and ended up scraping the whole thing into the trash. Screw it, she'd grab coffee and a doughnut on her way to drop Beth off at school.

____

The ride to Carmel was done in almost complete silence. Rachel tried to get a small sing-a-long going, but Beth wasn’t having it. “I’m saving my voice,” she had said. Rachel just smiled and nodded.

“Good plan. You’re going to be great.”

And then silence.

She knew that Beth was going through a lot, but there seemed to be more to these moody silences than simple grief. There was a touch of resentment, Rachel was certain. Did Beth think Rachel was trying to replace Shelby? That would be ridiculous. Rachel was only here to take care of Beth, and Rachel Berry always gets the job done. So she’d keep being there for Beth and taking care of what she needed until Beth was able to open up or until Shelby was back on her feet.

They pulled up to Carmel’s gaudy entrance, which was teaming with students happily running up the stairs or embracing each other after the summer break. Rachel looked out on the green of her high school rivals and was hit with a rush of nostalgia from when the New Directions first visited to see Vocal Adrenaline perform. And now she was dropping her adoptive sister off to audition for the very same show choir that tormented her and her friends for years. Well, hopefully the times had changed.

“Alright, have fun and -”

“Bye,” Beth snapped as she jumped out of the car and immediately started running towards the entrance.

“...break a leg,” Rachel finished, a bit miffed. She watched as Beth ran up the stairs and stopped to embrace another young student. She saw them all smiles and talking excitedly, and Rachel frowned even more. _So it’s just me, then_. She thought to herself. She would have watched them longer had a car behind her not started leaning on its horn. “Alright, alright, I’m going!” she grumbled. She really needed that coffee.

Meanwhile, Monica and Beth were walking through the doors to the school. “How’s the sister thing going?”

Beth groaned. “Ugh, it’s so dumb. She barely knows me and I have no idea how to act around her. But it’s like, as soon as they said that mom wasn’t going to wake up for a while she just moved in to the house.”

Monica grimaced. “Damn, that sucks. I can’t imagine what that would be like. Then again your family tree is a little bit more tangled than mine.”

“Yeah, don’t remind me. But I don’t wanna talk about Rachel Berry here. This is a safe space away from all my home drama. Let’s talk auditions instead.” Both Monica and Beth had been planning on auditioning for Vocal Adrenaline ever since they started singing together. Whenever they had their get-togethers or sleepovers, all they would talk about is what they would do once they were in charge of Carmel’s glee club - in-between talk about boys and their favourite tv shows, of course.

“Right, yes, auditions!” Monica beamed. “I’m swinging for the fences, but I’m going with ‘Defying Gravity’.”

Beth cocked an eyebrow. “Are you sure? I know you’re good, but I think the high note at the end is a little out of your range.”

Monica sighed. “Usually, yeah, but I’ve been practicing and I think I can do it.”

Beth stopped and turned to her. “Still, maybe you should play it safe? Play to your strengths. You’ll sound just as good if you do an easier song, like...‘Hopelessly Devoted to You’.”

“...that’s not as impressive...”

Beth took Monica’s hand in hers. “Look, I’ve had a really rough summer. My mom’s stuck in the hospital, my alleged sister is lording herself over me...I just don't want things to blow up in my face any more. I _need_ you to get into Vocal Adrenaline with me. I can’t do it alone.”

Monica smiled sheepishly. “Okay, if you say so. I’ll try my hardest. You’re right, it wouldn’t be any fun if only one of us got in.” The two kept walking. “What about you? What are you auditioning with?”

“‘Standing Still’ by Jewel. It’s way old, but I think it’ll highlight my emotional range. I've been practicing all summer.” Which was almost true. She’d fallen off her normal practice schedule ever since the accident, and she wasn't comfortable singing in front of Rachel. But she managed to squeeze a few rehearsals in when Rachel was busy getting groceries, and she thought she still sounded just as good. “I’m a shoo-in. We both are”.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I first posted this I just had to get it out of my system, but now I've got plans and motivation to see them through. Hopefully they don't peter out after too long :/

As Rachel sat in the parking lot of the coffee and doughnut shop, she dialled New York. After a few rings, Kurt answered.

“Hey Rachel! How is everything?” he asked as soon as he picked up.

“Oh, I just wanted to hear your voice. We haven’t spoken since I left.”

She could hear Kurt frown. “And you’re calling me instead of, you know, your husband?”

Rachel rolled her eyes. “Jesse is busy, and we already planned on calling each other tonight.”

“Well if you say so. How are things in Akron?”

“They’re...fine,” Rachel replied. “Shelby is stable, but no change in her condition. The house is nice, but I’ve been slipping on the stuff she usually handles so I have to do a bunch of errands today. And Beth still doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“Well, she’s been through a lot,” Kurt pointed out. “And seeing you probably reminds you a lot of her mother.”

“I know. I know!” Rachel sighed. “I just wish I knew how to get through to her. I want to help her and she isn’t letting me.”

“You just have to give her time. And space. She’s going to need time to figure out her own feelings, and if she needs your support then she’ll let you know. The same thing happened between me and dad after my mom passed. She knows that you’ll be there for her when she needs you.”

“That’s just the thing though!” Rachel declared. “I don’t think she does! Whenever I try to talk to her it feels like it goes in one ear and out the other. Hell, sometimes I think she wishes I had been in that accident instead of Shelby.”

Kurt chuckled. “I’d like to say that that’s silly, but there were plenty of times in high school that I wished you got hit by a bus Regina George-style.”

“Kurt!”

“Kidding! Mostly. What I’m trying to say is that she’s a teenager. Think back, Rachel. How many good choices did we make at that age?”

Rachel paused to think. “Hmm...good point.”

“Exactly. Like I said, time and space. The harder you push, the more she’s going to push back.” The sound of something breaking echoed from his side of the call. “Oh, shit, I have to go, Betty just broke a glass. Talk to you later bye!” He hung up, and Rachel sat there alone with her thoughts, a coffee, and half a doughnut.

She gave herself a moment to take some deep breaths and let a few tears roll. The truth was, she was just as shaken by everything as Beth was. But she had to put up a strong front for her. Rachel knew that if she started breaking down then Beth would lose the only stable person in her life right now. So she waited until moments like this to let out all of her emotions. Fortunately she was used to compartmentalizing things, though she hated that that was something she’d had to learn how to do at such a young age.

Eventually she was able to compose herself. “Okay Rachel. Happy thoughts, smile, and let’s get some things done on this list.”

* * *

The school day creeped by an at unimaginably slow pace. Beth was constantly checking the clock, but every time she did it felt like only a few minutes had passed. She slogged her way through history, science, english, home ec, and gym. She grimaced every time a teacher asked the students to introduce themselves and say something interesting they did over the summer. She didn’t want to talk about her and her mom going on a trip to Los Angeles earlier in the summer, or how they hung out for most of it. Obviously she wasn’t about to relegate the accident to something “interesting”. And she certainly wasn’t about to tell some anecdote about “reconnecting with her sister”.

Instead she just talked about how she practiced for Vocal Adrenaline and was planning on auditioning after school that day. That managed to keep people’s attention, though every so often she caught someone looking at her and she knew that they knew. Whether it was kids who she’d gone to middle school with or people from other districts, she could tell that some of them saw her as the girl with the mom in the hospital.

Finally, _finally_, the end of day bell rang. Beth quickly starting stuffing her books back in her pack and was out the classroom door before the teacher had time to tell her that the bell didn't dismiss her. Plenty of other students had flooded the halls hoping to escape the first day of classes as soon as possible, and Beth had to squeeze past all manner of people as she headed in the opposite direction, towards the auditorium. In her excitement, of course, she didn’t quite see where she was going and collided headfirst with another boy.

“Ah!”

“Ow!”

Beth’s backpack spilled its contents as it spilled out, intermingling with the books in the boy’s bag. “Oh no, I’m so sorry!” he sputtered as he quickly started gathering up her stuff.

“No, it’s my fault, I should’ve been watching where I was going.” She grabbed a textbook, but quickly noticed it wasn’t hers and handed it over to the boy. That’s when she actually got a good look at him, and him at her.

First off - he was really cute. Dark skin, hair curled into a smallish afro, dimples when he smiled and bright brown eyes that immediately put her at ease. “Hey, don’t worry about it,” he replied as he took the book and handed Beth one of hers. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before?”

Beth took the book and stood up, the boy doing the same. “Yeah, I’m a freshman. Well, freshwoman. Freshgirl?” She died a little inside at her nervousness. “Grade nine, is what I’m trying to say.” She held a hand out. “I’m Beth.”

He shook her hand. “Tony. Well, Anthony, but everyone calls me Tony. Grade 10.”

Beth nodded. “Cool. Uh...” She didn’t know what to say next. She had nevered flirted before. She had never _wanted_ to flirt before, but it was like simply entering high school had flipped something on in her mind. But how do you even start? She probably looked like an idiot with her mouth dangling open.

“Could you move?” came a snippy voice from beside them. They both turned in time to see an impeccably dressed young man move towards them, then through as he shouldered past where they stood. “Vocal Adrenaline only has so many spots in it and I am not going to be late for auditions because you two are busy making out with your eyes.” He breezed past without even glancing back.

Beth checked her phone and saw minutes ticking by. “Oh shit, I have to go.” She too ran off without saying goodbye, leaving a bewildered Tony to stand in the middle of the hall. “Making out with our eyes?” he quietly repeated to himself.

“Hey Tony!” called one of his friends, and Tony caught sight of a built Japanese dude at the end of the hall. “Come on bro! Football tryouts!”

“I’ll be right there!” Tony called back, but not before a somewhat longing glance in the direction Beth and the other guy had gone.

* * *

Groceries were purchased, laundry was done, kitchen was clean, and Rachel had even taken the time to clean pick up some new sheet music as a small surprise for Beth. She wasn’t certain what she liked or if she had gotten any repeats, but she felt it would be a good step for them and potentially help start a connection between the two of them.

Rachel had spent the past hour browsing social media, seeing if there was anything new that had popped up since her departure - or about it, for that matter. Last time they had talked Jesse had been doing well, and there weren’t any scandalous news stories that implied otherwise. Not that she didn’t trust him, of course, but with her running out of the city so quickly the two of them were expecting some kind of groundless rumour to appear at any moment. Fortunately things were quiet on that front - no one knew why Rachel had left New York other than “a family matter”, which was just what she wanted. The last thing she and Beth needed right now were rampant fans and reporters taking up all their time.

She glanced at the clock. It was around 3:30, which meant Beth would be out of school soon. She had mentioned all her plans to her that morning and Rachel new she didn’t have to worry about her until after school the next day, but she still wanted to do _something_. She smiled. What better way to support her little sister than a surprise visit to her audition?

After a quick drive, Rachel parked near the school and walked towards the office. She had gone unnoticed by anyone during the day, so she figured she would be fine walking in without any kind of disguise or distraction. “Excuse me?” she asked the receptionist.

The older woman looked up tiredly, but when she saw Rachel’s face she lit up. “Oh. My. God. Rachel Berry!” A wild smile spread across her face.

Rachel smiled back thinly, leaning in close. “Yes, it's me, but I’m trying to keep a low profile.”

“Oh, of course Mrs. Berry, of course. You know I have a copy of your show?” Rachel flinched. “I thought it was wonderful. You were robbed!”

“Mm, yes, of course. Listen, I was wondering if it would be possible for me to sit in on the Vocal Adrenaline auditions? My little sister is here and I want to support her.”

“Of course! Wow, imagine. Rachel Berry's sister here in our own Carmel High. She’s a shoo in, I’m sure.” She stood up and pointed. “Just down that hallway. You won’t be able to miss it - listen for the sound of tears.”

Rachel flinched again. “Tears? Who’s running the club now?”

“Oh it’s all student run!” The secretary smiled again. “You know they’ve won enough championships like that that the administration isn’t worried about oversight anymore.”

Rachel nodded. “Ah, like Dalton. Well, I’m sure it’s fine.” If Rachel wanted Beth to trust her, then she had to trust Beth, and that meant trusting that Vocal Adrenaline wasn’t as cruel as it had been all those years ago. So she put on a brave face and made her way down the hall, hoping that no one else would react to her like the receptionist had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next song will be coming in the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

If the number of teens getting out of the school seemed big, the number who were headed towards the auditorium seemed even larger. Beth reached a hall with a line going down most of it, and was about to head to the back when she saw Monica waving to her. She darted over and took up position beside her. “Thanks for saving me a spot,” she said as she gave Monica a quick hug.

“Of course! We’re in this together.” As the line moved forward, the two of them squealed with delight. Every so often they came closer and closer to the doorway. It was happening! They were only a few steps away from joining Vocal Adrenaline!

“Stop.” A stern faced senior boy held his arm out between Beth and Monica.

“We wanted to go in together?” Monica said softly.

“No group auditions. We let in twelve people at a time, they get a few bars, and _if_ they’re good enough they can move on to the next stage.” He gestured to Monica. “You’re in this group, your friend is in the next.”

Monica turned back to Beth. “Sorry. Good luck!”

Beth nodded. “Break a leg!”

And then Monica was gone into the auditorium, and Beth had to keep waiting for a few minutes longer.

Far behind her, Rachel found a door that marked a backstage entrance to the auditorium and stealthily snuck inside it. She found herself back in familiar territory - this auditorium hadn’t changed in the fifteen years that had passed since the fledgling New Directions had visited Carmel to see the competition. And down onstage she saw a small group of teens performing. The six of them stood at the front of the stage and began singing a few bars of “Since You’ve Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson. After a moment they were stopped by what must be the students running the club. Someone pointed at three of them, and those three were must have been the ones moving forward because everyone else began walking out of the auditorium with a look of defeat visible on their faces even from there. Rachel sighed. She knew that a club at this caliber wouldn’t be able to take everyone, and that the old Rachel would encourage cuts for the slightest of reasons, but part of her was still nostalgic for Mr. Schue’s policy of everyone getting in.

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” Rachel turned and saw a young girl with raven black hair and pale skin eying her suspiciously.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I was just trying to watch. My sister is going to audition soon and I wanted to support her.”

The girl frowned, then shrugged. “Fine. Wouldn’t be the first time. No clapping, no screaming, no cameras, and when they get cut you can’t argue with us. Legally, we had a bylaw drawn up.”

“Oh...okay then.” Rachel quietly found a seat and tried to look as unassuming as possible while the teen girl strutted towards the student council and sidled up to one of the boys there. Power couple. Rachel wondered if they had the same drama that New Directions ever did.

Any thoughts of the passed were gone when she saw Beth come onstage. Rachel wanted to give a little wave, but was worried that if she did the wrong thing she'd distract Beth or get her in trouble, so instead she sat silently and hoped that the young girl would do her best.

The dozen kids that Beth was with were instructed to sing the first six bars of “Funny Girl” from, well, _Funny Girl_. She smiled. She knew that song backwards and forwards. The twelve of them were given a few seconds to prepare before the piano started up and they all began singing. They got a few bars in before the student council stopped everything, quickly deliberated, and began pointing at a bunch of different hopefuls. Beth was not among them. She didn’t know if that was good or bad.”

“Anyone I pointed at, I’m sorry but you will not be moving forward. Please leave immediately.”

The boy and her right and the girl on her left both started to cry, but Beth was too elated to car. She had made it in! Well, in to the next stage at least. But that just meant she was better than a good chunk of the others.

Up in the audience, Rachel held her breath and internally cheered.

Beth and Monica only had a few moments to congratulate each other before they were told to move into the adjacent gymnasium for choreography. No, they were not allowed to change their outfits, because Vocal Adrenaline rehearsals could happen anywhere at any time. A boombox began playing “Mercy” by Duffy and a group of senior Vocal Adrenaline members showed everyone the moves. They had a limited time to get them right, and if they spotted anybody who was faltering then they were cut then and there as well.

Beth was worried she would sweat through her clothes, but she tried not to think about that right now. All that mattered was moving on to the next stage.

For all the students who were trying to get in, the initial stage of auditions were done within forty five minutes. At that point the remaining kids had been split into two groups learning two sets of dance moves, and it was time to perform them. Rachel carefully watched as Beth executed the choreography as well as anyone else onstage. Good. She needed to be able to blend in when necessary, a lesson Rachel had taken far too long to learn.

In a blur, the second group had danced as well, and the student council deliberated once again. This time someone got up and personally went through the crowded students - probably still around a hundred of them, even after all the cuts - and began telling them personally whether they moved on or not. Teen after teen ran out of the auditorium in pain, and Rachel grimaced. She was started to think that maybe this club wasn't as nice as she had believed.

Beth stood with baited breath as the councilman approached her. “Beth Corcoran...” he checked a small set of notes he'd brought with him. “You move on to the next round. Head off stage right.”

Beth almost didn't move when she heard the news, she was so excited, but soon Monica was pulling her away. “You got in!” she exclaimed to Beth.

“I did! And so did you!”

“I know! We’re so close!”

The two squealed once again, but were quickly shushed by a stage hand.

And in the audience, Rachel breathed a sigh of relief before holding her breath once again.

Soon the group had been cut down to half, and the council stood up. “At this point we will begin solo auditions with a song of your choosing, and order randomly selected. After singing you will leave the stage. A list of those who made the cut will be posted tomorrow after school, with rehearsals starting immediately. First up...Beth Corcoran.”

Beth took a deep breath. This was it. This was her moment.

“Hello, my name is Beth Corcoran and I will be singing ‘Standing Still’ by Jewel.” She nodded to the band nearby, and the music began.

_Cutting through the darkest night  
Are my two headlights  
Try to keep it clear, but I'm losing it here  
To the twilight  
There's a dead end to my left, there's a burning bush to my right  
You aren't in sight  
You aren't in sight_

Beth looked up as she sang, and for a moment she thought she saw her mom there.

_Do you want me  
Like I want you?  
Or am I standing still,  
Beneath a darkened sky?  
Or am I standing still,  
With the scenery flying by?  
Or am I standing still,  
Out of the corner of my eye?  
Was that you passing me by?_

Beth blinked, and she realized it wasn’t her mom - it was Rachel. For a fraction of a moment she wanted to scream. _What was she doing there?_ But she didn’t have time for that now - she had a song to do. Oh, she hoped spotting her so-called sister hadn’t caused her to falter.

_Mothers on the stoop, boys in souped-up coupes  
On this hot summer night  
Between fight and flight, is the blind man's sight  
And a choice that's right  
I roll the window down, feel like I'm gonna drown in this strange town  
Feel broken down  
Feel broken down  
Do you need me  
Like I need you?_

Rachel watched and listened. _Does Beth need me? of course not. She needs her mother. She doesn't even want me._ And then, another thought came to her. _Oh no, she’s thinking of her mom right now, isn’t she? She's thinking of _our _mom._

_Or am I standing still,  
Beneath a darkened sky?  
Or am I standing still,  
With the scenery flying by?  
Or am I standing still,  
Out of the corner of my eye?  
Was that you passing me by?_

Beth could feel emotions bubbling inside of her. She had wanted to express her emotional range, but this wasn't the way she wanted to. Her eyes were wet, and she couldn’t help but think of the accident as she sang. _Not now!_ She couldn’t afford to have a breakdown in the middle of the most important audition of her life.

_Sweet sorrow, he said call tomorrow.  
Sweet sorrow, he said call tomorrow._

At times like this she would look to her mom, but whenever she tried picturing her smiling face all she could see was the battered and bloody visage of that night months ago.

_Do you love me  
Like I love you?  
Or am I standing still,  
Beneath a darkened sky?  
Or am I standing still,  
With the scenery flying by?  
Or am I standing still,  
Out of the corner of my eye?  
Was that you passing me by?_

Beth summoned what strength she had left and pushed through all the pain she was feeling in that moment. She needed to use that shit to win this audition, not fall apart at the last minute.

_Do you want me?_  
Do you need me like I need you to?  
And do you want me like I want you?  
Oh are you passing me by?

Beth let the music play out as she dropped the last few words. _It’s an artistic choice_, she told herself. But she had a feeling she dropped them because she just couldn’t go on anymore.

“Thank you. Check back tomorrow,” was all that the student councilman had to say. Beth nodded and shakily walked to the exit, almost dragging her backpack out with her.

Outside, Rachel was waiting there to meet her. “You were amazing!” Rachel exclaimed.

“Why are you here?” Beth snapped.

Rachel froze. “I - I wanted to support you. Since we’ve been having such a rough time -”

“Oh my gosh, would you stop? Seriously! Enough!” Beth took a big breath in, trying to stop the tears. “You think this is a game? That you can just walk in and pretend to be my mom?”

“Beth, no! I’m just trying to be a good sister!”

“Then don’t ambush me and mess up my audition!” Beth took a deep breath in the hopes of keeping the tears at bay. “You don’t realize how important this is to me. Especially - especially now.” She could feel her cheeks getting wet and knew she failed at holding it in. “I need this because I don't have anything else without it.”

Rachel sighed and walked towards her. “I’m sorry you're going through all this, but I think that song choice may have -”

“_Song choice?_” Beth sobbed. “The song choice has been perfect all summer. The only thing that's changed is _you_ being _here_. But at least I know I was good enough to get in, so at least you don't need that on your conscience too.”

Rachel was stunned. “If that's really what you think is going on here then I’m not sure how to respond to that.”

“Don’t respond.” Beth slowly made her way past Rachel. “I’m going to freshen up, and then I’ll be meeting with Monica after she’s done. I’ll see you tomorrow after rehearsal. Go home.”

Beth disappeared around the corner, and Rachel wasn’t sure if her last words were referring to her and Shelby’s house, or New York.

She had a sinking suspicion that it was the latter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song featured in this chapter: "Standing Still" by Jewel. Sung by Beth.


	5. Chapter 5

The room at the hospital was stifling, to say the least. Shelby’s bed was crowded up against the wall and surrounded by machines monitoring her every twitch and pulse. Beth and Monica could only barely fit two chairs in there to see her and still be able to close the thin privacy curtain. At the very least there were never any other families visiting the neighbouring patient when Beth came in. Though sometimes she didn’t know what was worse - the fact that she and Monica were Shelby’s only visitors, or the fact that old Mrs. Leeman didn’t seem to have any.

“Was she really that bad?” Monica asked cautiously.

“Hmm?” Beth murmured as she was shaken out of her thoughts.

“Your sister. Did she really mess you up that much?”

Beth sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe? I probably exaggerated. But it was just her presence, you know? The fact that she’s here at all is throwing me off my game.”

“I’ll say.” Monica squeezed her best friend’s shoulder. “I’ve never seen you this, uh...grumpy.”

Beth smirked. “That’s one way to put it.” She reached over and squeezed her mom’s hand. “If you can hear me, I want you to know that those gay dudes from years ago? They did a terrible job.” Monica snickered under her breath. “I’m sure Rachel seemed nice years ago, but I’m pretty sure all that time in New York has gone to her head. Don’t worry though. As soon as I get into Vocal Adrenaline, the better.”

* * *

“The sooner I can get out of here, the better,” Rachel grumbled into her phone.

“She can’t be that bad,” Santana replied from the other end. “She just sounds like your average white blonde brat with a chip on her shoulder and a mom in a coma.”

“Santana!” Rachel replied in shock.

Santana didn’t care. “Please, you’ve lived with me, I’ve said worse. That little Quinn-spawn - because we can't forget that some of that attitude is genetic - is trying to get under your skin and find your weak spot. Fabray’s been doing the same to me since we met in middle school. It's why we ended up sleeping together three times.”

“Ew.”

“I thought it was only twice?” Brittany called from the background.

“What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas sweetie, love you!” Santana called back. “Besides, you're not gonna abandon this kid, and I know this because half of you wants to be the saviour of every broken bird you find and the other half loves how good your experience as a big sister is going to sound in your autobiography. The only way you’d peace out now is if she tried to take one of your solos.” She paused, pondering this. “Has she?”

“No!” Rachel snapped. “And it wouldn’t be me abandoning her, alright? She clearly has a better relationship with her friend’s family than she does with me. For one they’ve actually interacted for more than a few months. Also, Mrs. Yang is way better at _actually being a mom_.”

Rachel winced as she thought back to the stern Chinese woman in a business suit with 80s power shoulders who appeared on her doorstep moments after she herself had returned from the school.

* * *

“I’ve come to pick up Beth’s Ocean Sounds machine for the sleepover. She doesn’t like bringing it to school with her.”

Rachel smiled. “Oh, that’s what that is! I was wondering but I didn’t have a chance to check since she doesn’t let me in her room.”  


“A sensible choice,” Mrs. Yang replied. “Also, I’m sure you wouldn’t know, but Beth will need a selection of freshly laundered clothes for school next morning - not just one outfit, she’ll need a selection. You should also grab her green toothbrush, because that’s the one she uses on Wednesdays as she often forgets to pack a bag of toiletries. Also we recently ran out of Kosher pickles, do you have any?”

“I-I might have some in the fridge?”

“Unlikely. I’ll pick them up at the deli on the way back from the hospital. What about hygiene? Do you know where she is on her cycle?” She didn’t give Rachel a chance to respond. “Of course not. That’s fine, we have some left over from the previous sleepover. I’m still waiting on the clothing.”

Rachel barely sputtered out a reply before hurrying back inside and finding as many clean clothes of Beth’s as she could and carefully placing them in a duffel bag alongside the other things that had been called for. She thought she had been quick, but Mrs. Yang’s expression made her feel like the simple task had taken a week. “I just wanted to thank you,” Rachel said as she handed the bag over. “Monica seems like a great girl and your family are clearly helping Beth get through this difficult time.”

“Yes, we are,” Mrs. Yang replied as she turned to leave. “Good day!”

* * *

“Wow, she sounds like a bitch! Which means she’s the smartest person in that city.”

“Exactly!” Rachel had put Santana on speaker and was packing clothes back in a suitcase. “Beth would be so much happier staying with their family than being stuck with an unwanted sister who she barely knows. And you know what? So! Would! I!” She punctuated each word by tossing shirts into the suitcase. “So when she gets home tomorrow and she's so excited about getting into Vocal Adrenaline, I’ll tell her that I’m leaving and she’ll be _even happier_! It's fool proof.”

Santana audibly rolled her eyes. “If it’s such a brilliant plan then why are you talking to me about it?”

Rachel shrugged. “I don’t know, you always seem to be a voice of reason. I figured if I was being stupid you’d give me a cold hard truth.”

Santana cackled and Rachel knew she made a mistake. “Oh, you want the truth? Okay Berry, here you go: you’re bailing as soon as things get difficult and/or boring, just like Hollywood, just like Broadway, just like NYADA, and just like several times throughout high school. And in a few months -”

“Do not!”

“- your loveless marriage.”

“Okay, maybe this was a mistake, because you clearly don’t understand that this is actually for the best!”

“Uh huh. Speaking of the best, I have to end this call so I can make phenomenal lady love to my wife. Next time you have issues, call Kurt.”

“I already called Kurt!”

“Well then I’d tell you to call Mercedes, but I’m not so mean I’d inflict you on her, so figure it out on your own. Ta ta!”

Rachel fumed as she heard Santana hang up. _The more things change_, she started thinking, and then she tried _very_ hard to not think about how Santana might have had a point.

* * *

Late that night, Monica and Beth lay side by side in Monica’s bed, both of them scrolling through their phones. “Do you really think they’re gonna leak who got in?” Monica asked.

Beth shrugged. “It’s happened before. 2015, 2019, 2022. Some captains like to tease people to build the hype. It’s a whole culture of choral excitement.” She eagerly tapped through all the instagrams of people she knew were already in Vocal Adrenaline, hoping to spot the corner of a paper or an improperly hidden screen. “I know I’m gonna get in, but I’ll sleep easier knowing for sure.”

Beth felt Monica’s silence next to her and gave her friend a look. “Hey, don't worry. I’m sure you’ll get in too, and even if you don’t that doesn’t mean anything about your inherent talent.” She playfully nudged the girl. “Hey, maybe I can put a good word in for you and they’ll make you an understudy.”

Monica smiled softly. “Yeah, that’d be nice. Still, I’m pretty sure we’re both going to be there.” She yawned. “And on that note, I think I should get to sleep. Second day of school is when you have to actually start learning stuff.”

“Yeah. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Monica rolled over and was soon fast asleep, but Beth spent at least another hour on her phone, just to be sure. Because as much as she insisted on her own perfection, she was still shaken by Rachel showing up at the school - along with everything else. But she had to hope. _I’m gonna get in. I’m gonna get in. I’m gonna get in._ It played like a loop in her head, almost drowning out the ocean sounds, until she fell asleep as well.


	6. Chapter 6

Hours later, Beth stood outside of the school auditorium, her foot tapping impatiently against the ground. She looked around, hoping no teachers were coming by. If they did then she’d tell them she was on her way back from the washroom. It was fine, there was one nearby, and she had a hall pass from when she told the teacher she really had to go. Anything to be the first one there and see her name on that list.

Footsteps echoed near her and she turned to look. Instead of teachers or Vocal Adrenaline council members, Beth saw the Tony from the day before. He spotted her as well and gave a small wave. “Hey!” he said once he was closer.

“Hi,” he breathed. “What are you doing out of class?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” he smirked back. “Nah, I got excused early to get ready for football practice.”

“You’re on the football team?” Beth looked him over - he was certainly built like an athlete. Very thick arms. “No letterman jacket?”

“They haven’t been ordered yet. We get sized for them at the end of the week.” He gestured to the auditorium behind her. “And you’re in Vocal Adrenaline?”

Beth smiled. “Hopefully. They’re posting the results soon and I wanted to get out of class early to find out. I know this hall is gonna be a madhouse when everyone else floods in to see if they made it.” She shrugged. “Do you sing?”

Tony shook his head. “Nah. Well, sometimes, but not at a glee club level I don’t think. Besides, my mom wants me to focus on football.”

“That seems more like a dad thing? Traditionally, I mean.”

“Oh, my dad is fine with football, as long as I keep my grades up. Which I do,” Tony hastily added, hoping to impress her beyond just his athletic prowess. “What about your parents? They all in on show choir stuff?”

Beth bit her lip and wondered how she should answer the question. “My mom, she - well, she actually used to coach Vocal Adrenaline. And she was in glee club before that.” And she wasn’t going to mention her sister, or any of the other tangles in her family tree.

“No dad?”

“No, mom raised me all on her own. It was pretty great, actually. We’ve had plenty of time to bond.”

“That’s awesome.”

The bell rang, prompting the two of them to look up, then over to where the sound of students began to reverberate down the halls. “Moment of truth,” Tony said as he turned back to Beth. “Break a leg, right?”

“Yeah. Thanks.” Beth wasn’t looking at him, instead her gaze falling on a boy she recognized as a Vocal Adrenaline senior who was striding towards a nearby bulletin board with a laminated piece of paper clutched in his hand. He ignored her as he stood beside her and fastened the list to the wall. It wasn’t very long, only a dozen or so names, and as soon as it was up Beth began searching for her own.

As she did, Tony was pushed aside by a flood of hopefuls scrambling to spot their name. Some of them reacted with clear delight. Others walked away in a cloud of disappointment. The impeccably dressed boy took one look at the list and cursed loudly at the result. “God damn plebeian sycophants wouldn’t recognize talent if it smacked them in the face and stole their knock-off Jimmy Choos,” he muttered as he stormed off. Tony flinched at the whole thing.

After a few minutes everyone cleared away. Everyone except for Beth, who was still staring at the list. Tony carefully walked towards her. “Hey...Beth?” he asked hesitantly. “You okay?”

“I didn’t make it,” she murmured, so softly Tony could barely make her out. “I...I don’t get it. I did everything right. I...I...” whatever could have come next was lost in choking sobs. He moved to touch her or comfort her or something, but she bolted away from him.

* * *

Rachel was busy at the Corcoran household, putting together a nice dinner and waiting for Beth to be off school, knowing that she’ll be happy to hear that she was finally leaving and she could spend the rest of the time with her friend’s family. It was good. It was a good plan, for both of them, and nothing could possibly go wrong.

The phone rang, which was odd because the house’s landline rarely got any calls. But she picked it up just in case it was important. “Hello? Corcoran household, Rachel speaking.”

“Hi, this is Tanisha Griffin calling from the Kenmore Community Centre. I left a few messages earlier in the month?”

Rachel frowned silently. “Sorry, I may have deleted those? There were a bunch of messages coming in at the same time and I wasn’t sure how best to prioritize them so I ended up erasing the whole machine.”

“Right...I guess that's understandable. In that case, I wanted to extend my heartfelt condolences for what happened to Shelby. I liked working with your...uh...”

“Mother. Shelby was my mom. Sorry, how did you know her?”

“I work at the Kenmore Community Centre - the one a few blocks from Carmel High? Shelby would sometimes teach singing lessons here if she wasn't able to do them out of her own home. Anyways before the incident she said she was planning on donating some sheet music to the Centre and I just wanted to know if I could get an idea of...when it's gonna show up.”

Rachel facepalmed. “Right! Okay, yes, I did see a stack of books in her closet that are probably for you. Sorry, everything just kept happening at once.” She heard something clattering and saw the pot on the stove start to boil over. “Sorry, I need to go! I’ll get them to you before the end of this week! Bye!” She hung up before the woman on the other end could say goodbye and ran over, pulling the lid off the pot and cranking the dial down to the bottom. “Please be okay please be okay please be okay...” She reached in with a spoon and pulled out a bundle of perfect noodles. “Yes!”

Soon after, everything was ready and Rachel was waiting patiently for her sister to arrive and share the good news. At least that was the plan. Rachel was pretty caught-off-guard when Beth slammed the door open, stormed past her and the food, hunkered down in her room, and screamed. It was the last part and shook Rachel from her surprise and sent her running down the hall to see what had happened. “Beth?” She gently knocked on the door. “What's wrong?”

“GO AWAY!” the young girl snapped back, and Rachel flinched at the noise. “THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!”

“Beth, please, whatever happened can’t be that bad -”

The door swung back open. “YOU _RUINED MY AUDITION_!” she screamed. Even in their short time together, Rachel had never seen Beth so haggard. The first weeks of her dealing with Shelby in the hospital were nothing compared to this. “I was _guaranteed_ to get in,” she snarled. “Nothing was supposed to go wrong. Until _you_ showed up and_ ruined my life_.” She slammed the door shut again. “Go back to New York. No one wants you here.”

Rachel was shaken to her core. She could barely move, and when she finally did it was with tremors pulsing through her body. “Beth, let’s be reasonable.” _What the hell was reasonable though? She was already planning on leaving, wasn’t she? Of course, this was before Beth’s whole situation nosedived_. “You can’t live here on your own.”

“I’ll move in with Monica then!” she cried from the other side of the door. She was quieter, but only because she’d exhausted a lot herself on her initial screaming. Anyone could tell she was just as furious.

Rachel leaned against the door, not sure what to say next. Beth was agreeing with her, even if she didn’t realize it. Wasn’t this good? She had suggested everything Rachel was going to, which meant they were good ideas, right? So why did Rachel feel so guilty? “Beth -”

“LEAVE ME ALONE!”

Rachel pulled away from the door, and after a moment returned to the dinner on the table, her eyes beginning to water. _Amazing. I’ve barely cried until just now_. She absent-mindedly began to dish herself a meal. _Of course I know why I’m guilty Rachel. You were about to abandon a little girl who’s scared to lose her mother and just lost the only other thing holding her together. Did I really think that was a smart plan? _She sighed. _But what am I supposed to do? I clearly can’t get any of this big-sister stuff right either_. She reached for the salt an accidentally bumped the bowl with the pasta. Clearly she hadn’t placed it in a stable spot to begin with because it only took a bit of teetering to fall to the floor and shatter.

_When was the last time I did _anything _right?_

As she walked to the pantry to grab a broom and dustpan, she could swear she heard an old piano melody begin playing in the back of her head.

_What have I done?  
I wish I could run  
Away from this ship going under_

Rachel stood up and dumped the mess of glass and pasta in the garbage. As she did she glanced towards the door to Shelby's room. She’d barely been in there at all - in fact, she was sleeping in a room she was pretty sure was her office or something. But now it was nudged askew, and she realized Beth must’ve gone in there the previous morning before school. Rachel hadn't even noticed until just now.

_Just trying to help  
Hurt everyone else  
Now I feel the weight of the world  
Is on my shoulders_

She walked in and looked around, surrounded by mementos of a life she didn’t know. Pictures of Shelby and Beth all through their lives, growing up and growing together. Trophies and medals from dance and singing competitions in Beth’s childhood. Even a letter from Quinn that looked as old as Beth herself. Rachel could barely stand to look at it all, so instead her eyes landed on the box of old music books. She picked it up and carried it to the door.

_What can you do when your good isn't good enough,  
And all that you touch, tumbles down?  
'Cause my best intentions keep making a mess of things  
I just wanna fix it somehow  
But how many times will it take  
Oh, how many times will it take for me  
To get it right  
To get it right_

As Rachel drove down the roads of Akron, the box of music seated next to her, drops of rain began to pitter-patter against her windshield.

_Can I start again  
With my faith shaken  
'Cause I can't go back and undo this  
I just have to stay  
And face my mistakes  
But if I get stronger and wiser  
I'll get through this_

As she approached the school she saw the Community Centre appear on her right, and pulled into the parking lot. She struggled to pull the box out without it getting soaked in the rain, which was slowly becoming a downpour.

_What can you do when your good isn't good enough,  
And all that you touch, tumbles down?  
'Cause my best intentions keep making a mess of things  
I just wanna fix it somehow_

The inside of the building was warm, but a little run down. Some paint was peeling and the lights had clearly seen better days. But Rachel saw notices and flyers on the board that were advertising upcoming events and classes for people in the neighbourhood. She couldn’t deny it had a certain charm.

_But how many times will it take?  
Oh, how many times will it take for me?  
To get it right_

As she wandered through the halls, hoping to run into the woman who had phoned her, she came across a room that was shockingly familiar. It wasn’t identical, but the similarities to the choir room in Lima were striking. Between the emotions from home and Beth’s own crisis, Rachel was suddenly flooded with nostalgia. 

_So I throw up my fist  
Throw a punch in the air  
And accept the truth  
That sometimes life isn't fair_

The box of music books was dropped near the front of the room as Rachel walked through the scattered chairs and her mind spun. Despite everything she’d accomplished, some days she still felt like the little girl from Lima who didn’t know how to help anyone but herself - and sometimes not even that.

_Yeah, I'll send out a wish  
Yeah, I'll send up a prayer  
And finally someone will see  
How much I care_

She sat in a chair facing away from the door (not noticing the figure behind her) and though the music slipped away from her mind, the words ended up coming out into the open.

_What can you do when your good isn't good enough  
And all that you touch, tumbles down  
Oh, my best intentions  
Keep making a mess of things  
I just wanna fix it somehow  
But how many times will it take?  
Oh, how many times will it take?  
To get it right?  
To get it right._

It felt good to sing again. She hadn’t for a long time, not wanting to steal Beth’s thunder or anything. But still, there was still only so much an old song from high school could do for her. No, this wasn’t the time for nostalgia. She stood up, thinking about how she should try and deal with the problem in front of her, and turned to face a young black boy staring at her.

The scream she let out was not very dignified, but the boy barely reacted. In fact, he smirked. Then he held his hands up and quickly said something that Rachel was sure was ASL.

“I’m sorry, I don’t sign or anything. Please tell me you read lips?” The boy rolled his eyes and nodded. “Right, great. I’m looking for the...owner? I think her name was...something Griffin.”

The boy sighed. “**MA!**” he shouted loudly and off key, and after a night of shouting from another teen Rachel was still rather jumpy at loud noises. Fortunately soon a woman a little younger than herself appeared in the doorway. Black, with a yellow sweater and beautiful dreadlocks pulled into a ponytail. She started signing something, then saw Rachel standing there awkwardly.

“Hello? What’s going on.”

“Hi! I’m Rachel Berry, we spoke on the phone.” Rachel nodded to the box. “I ended up bringing the music over sooner than planned.”

Tanisha nodded. “I can see that. Is there any reason why you’re sulking in a choir room and scaring my son?” This prompted the boy to scoff and give his mother a playful smack, which she returned in kind.

“Sorry, sorry, it’s been a...a long night and I was kind of running on autopilot. I guess I started wandering around” Rachel gestured to the room. “This is a really nice space.”

Tanisha shrugged. “It’s alright. The building isn’t in the best shape but we do what we can with what little comes in from people booking spaces for events and whatnot. Hopefully those music books will make voice lessons a little more enticing, though I guess I’m going to have to take those over while Shelby is...yeah.” Tanisha looked back to Rachel. “Not that that’s your fault or anyone’s, it’s just a really shitty situation. Pardon my French.”

Rachel managed a small smile. “No, you’re right. This whole situation is shitty.” She did her coat back up and walked towards the door. “It was nice meeting you, but I should probably get back home to my sister.” She waved to the boy. “Have a nice night you two!”

Once she was gone, Tanisha turned to her son. “Alright Drew, what do we think of her?”

Drew snickered. “Oh, she’s clearly got loads of unresolved issues. On the one hand, we should stay out of it, but on the other I feel like it’s the kind of drama I wanna be fed like grapes.”

“Yeah, you always did love getting into everyone else’s business.” She poked him teasingly.

“C’mon, you say that like it’s a bad thing!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song featured in this chapter: "Get it Right" from _Glee_. Sung by Rachel.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! Now things are starting to move.

When Rachel arrived back home, the dining table was completely cleared off. Even the spills and glass fragments that had been scattered were clean. There was a note pinned to the fridge. “I ate. Leftovers are packed away for later.” After that Rachel was pretty sure Beth had written “thanks”, but heavily scratched it out after the fact. After everything, all Rachel could do was sigh with discontent. She walked over to Beth’s still-shut door and leaned in close.

“Beth?” No reply. “I don’t know if you’re still awake, but if you are I...I just wanted to apologize. I know why you don’t want me here, and to be honest...sometimes I’m not sure why I’m here either. But I need you to know that I’m going to stick around as long as I need to. I can’t imagine what you’re going through, but I’m going to find a way to make things better for you.” Rachel didn’t know how she was going to see that promise through, but dammit, she had to say something.

* * *

The car ride to school that morning was brutal. Beth was stone silent, even more than usual. Rachel didn’t bother with any conversation starters this time around, only wishing her a nice day as she exited the car and slammed the door shut. That’s fine, Rachel thought, I have an idea. Because she had heard Beth sing before, and she knew she was worthy of getting into any glee club, including Vocal Adrenaline. And with a reputation like hers, she was sure she’d be able to convince those in control that Beth deserved a second chance at the very least.

She walked through the doors again and saw a long line of parents standing in front of the head office. Her steps haltered just for a moment, a sinking feeling occurring as she worried that her plan may not be as simple as she’d thought. “Excuse me?” she asked as she tapped the shoulder of the woman in front of the woman in front of her. “What’s this all for?”

The woman huffed. “Well, those idiot children in charge of Vocal Adrenaline thought they were too good to accept my Julie! Can you believe it? When I found out I knew the first thing I needed to do was march into this pathetic excuse for a school and demand that he be let onto the team!” She paused to breath for a moment. “And I suppose all these other parents have similar complaints, but...I doubt their children are half as talented.”

Rachel bit her lip and nodded. “Right...that’s what I was afraid of.”

“Well well, Rachel Berry.” Rachel turned and saw a fashionably dressed student eying her up and down. In fact, it was the same girl that Rachel had seen the day before in the auditorium during auditions. “We had a feeling you’d be showing your face around here soon enough.”

“Um, what’s going on?” Rachel wondered. “Who are you?”

“Ivy DuPonte. I represent the interests of the Vocal Adrenaline Student Council. And since you’re such a star,” she drawled mockingly, “we decided that you can have an express audience with us instead of waiting in line like the rest of the rejects.”

The woman Rachel had been talking to took this opportunity to but in front of her. “Excuse me? No. I was here before her, and my son -”

“Save it, Soccer mom! I don’t care about how much community theatre you took your kid to! If he didn’t get in, it’s because he sucks.” Ivy whipped back to Rachel. “Now, Mrs. Berry, if you’ll follow me.” Ivy began stalking away from the hubbub at the front of the school and Rachel didn’t have much of a choice except to follow. She didn’t like getting bossed around by teens, but she also wasn’t surprised that this was how things were turning out.

Soon Rachel found herself in a well-furnished classroom, seated in a fancy-looking but profoundly uncomfortable wooden chair and facing a trio of stern-looking students. Ivy was on the left wearing a sinister smirk, on the right was an athletic Latino boy scrolling through his phone with a look of disinterest, and in the middle was a white boy with perfectly gelled hair. Rachel squirmed in an attempt to relax. “I’m perfectly alright standing,” she offered, but the boy in the centre held up his hand and cut her off.

“We prefer people sit when they face us. We find it makes things more uneven.”

“Don’t you mean makes things more ‘even’?”

“No.”

“Ah.”

“Anyways, Mrs. Berry, first off I would like to say how honoured we are to have a Broadway star in our midst. Your opening night performance in Funny Girl is one of my favourite bootlegs. Not to mention Jane Austen Sings. The opening number always gives me chills.”

“Well, thank you -”

“I disagree,” Ivy butted in. “I think your vocals were lacking, likely due to the pregnancy during your performances.”

“I mean I was only pregnant during a small portion of my run -”

“Mrs. Berry!” The centre boy said, once again cutting her short. “My name is Charles Veranda. I am the current captain of Vocal Adrenaline, which means I have first and final say on every one who does and does not make the cut for our little club. Now, you’re sister...” Charles looked at some notes on his desk. “Beth Corcoran? Freshman, fourteen years old, mother...in a coma, our condolences. Patrick, what was her audition song?”

The Latino boy glanced up from his phone. “‘Standing Still’ by Jewel.”

“And what did we think of it?”

“Technically correct most of the way through. She hit a sharp note in the second verse. She generally lacked emotional range throughout. Her attempt to play off the weak ending as an artistic choice was very evident, and also unsuccessful.”

“Precisely,” Charles said with a conclusive nod. “And we simply can’t have performers of such caliber dragging the rest of us down.”

Rachel looked at the trio of children incredulously. “Are you serious? Were you listening to the same thing I was? Because I was there the whole time and Beth was brilliant!”

“Clearly that’s debatable,” Charles countered. “We’re not saying that Beth was bad, necessarily, she simply...wasn’t good enough for us.”

Rachel stood. “Well, I didn’t want it to come to this, but I’m willing to make a deal. If you allow Beth to re-audition, then I will agree to help coach Vocal Adrenaline.” Rachel smiled sincerely, but it shattered when Ivy began to cackle.

“Are you serious? Lady, you are not nearly as fantastic as you think you are. What, you think that you can handle us just because you have a Tony? Everyone in New York has a Tony.”

Patrick looked up from his phone and turned to her. “Reeve Carney doesn’t have a Tony.”

“Reeve Carney knows what he did,” Ivy spat back.

Rachel shrugged off the criticism. “Well other than that, I also have a long history of experience with show choir. I myself got started in the New Directions and helped them to a national victory.”

“Well, once,” Charles clarified. “You came in twelfth the year prior and lost regionals the year before that.”

Rachel huffed. “I think you’re forgetting that I coached them to another one after graduation.”

“Technically that was Will Schuester,” Patrick replied. “He was reinstated before sectionals, and you were only there as a consultant afterwards.”

“How do you even know things like that?”

“Internet,” Patrick said as he wiggled his phone.

“Seriously, though, why would we need you?” Ivy asked coldly. “Vocal Adrenaline has won National titles three years in a row now, and we’re on track for a fourth thanks to us.”

“To be fair, you almost lost two of those to New Directions. And one to the Trouble Tones, also McKinley.”

“A near win is still a win,” Charles replied with a smug grin. “Facts are facts, Mrs. Berry. Beth simply wasn’t up to snuff. She’s welcome to audition next year or find another choir to join, and we’re sure they’d love to have her. But Vocal Adrenaline is happy with its choices this year. Now, kindly see yourself out.”

* * *

Rachel grumbled all the way to her car. “Stupid little brats think they’re so special. Beth was great and if they don’t see it then clearly they’re not as good a club as they used to be. They’ll probably get their asses handed to them at Nationals by New Directions.” She swung the door open and slammed it shut. “And my Tony is great, it says right on it ‘I beat Anne’! I bet none of them have Tonys.” She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down. “I really should send Reeve some flowers or a postcard or something though. Ugh! Whatever.” As she pulled out of the parking lot she racked her brain trying to figure out what she could do. If Beth didn’t get into a show choir then she was going to be miserable the whole time Rachel was here. Not to mention the trauma she was going through after everything that had happened. Rachel cursed herself for not visiting her and Shelby more often. If only they’d had a stronger connection, maybe she could actually help the girl...

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t realize the car was slowing down until somebody behind her laid on their horn. “What?” she looked behind her, then all around, trying to figure out what was happening. Her eyes landed on the gas meter, which was way past empty. “What?! Come on.” She pressed as hard as she could on the gas but only sped up a fraction of what she needed. With the last vapours of fuel she barely managed to pull over to the side of the road and let the rest of the traffic pass her by. “Crap crap crap! I knew I should’ve filled up yesterday when I was out.” She pulled out her phone to call a tow-truck, only to see something else was out of juice too. “Oh come on!” she yelled at the dead device. She had already gone too far from the high school to use there phone, but surely there was some place nearby that she could go to - aha! Conveniently, the community centre from the day before was just down the street.

Waiting a few moments for traffic to clear, Rachel scurried across the street and down the block to get to the building and let herself in. “Hello?” she called. “It’s - it’s Rachel Berry again.” She listened and heard the sound of footsteps, and then Tanisha popped her head out from the end of the hallway.

“You again?” she called. “Did you forget something?” She started walking towards her.

“Yeah, I forgot to fill gas up my car and to charge my phone, and now I’m stuck on the side of the road down the block. Could I use your phone?”

Tanisha sighed. “Sure, we’ve got a landline.” She pointed in a familiar direction. “Remember the choir room you were in last night? It’s in the office across the hall.”

“Thank you so much!” Rachel replied as she dashed down to the room. The phone was easy to fine and soon enough she found a number for a towing company. As she gave her information and location, she couldn’t help but glance across the hall to the choir room. The resemblance it bore to the one in McKinley was uncanny. Even now she could picture the salad days of the New Directions in their years together. She heard they were hot shots now thanks to Will and Sam, but back then they were just friends trying to make their mark in the world. Beth deserved a chance like that, even if it wasn’t with Vocal Adrenaline.

“Oh my God!” Rachel shouted as she was suddenly struck by inspiration. “Sorry, not you, you’re delightful. Can you call this number back when you’ve arrived?” She hung up the phone and dashed into the choir room, looking at it from all angles. Yes, yes, this was perfect. She spotted the box of music she’d dropped off and started rifling through it. “Yes!” She had a feeling the book had slipped in there by accident. She was flipping through pages when Tanisha burst into the room.

“I heard you yell! Was it a mouse? I thought I got them all.”

“Tanisha!” Rachel exclaimed. “You’re exactly who I need right now.”

Tanisha looked at her warily. “I don’t know what you’re talking about but I’m pretty sure I don’t have time for it.”

“Do you have an auditorium?”

Tanisha shook her head slowly. “No? We have a gymnasium with risers though. We use it for small basketball games and the occasional swing revival.”

“I need to see it.”

Tanisha led Rachel to the large room. Mostly it looked like a regular high school gym, albeit smaller than you’d hope. But it was big enough for what Rachel had in mind. Tanisha could tell, because Rachel was pacing back and forth in it, gesturing to things, looking through the book she was holding, and muttering about how perfect everything was. “Can you please tell me what kind of breakdown you’re having so I can deal with you accordingly?”

Rachel jogged over and held Tanisha’s arms ecstatically. “Not a breakdown. A break through!” She held up the book, and Tanisha finally saw the cover - Show Choir Rule Book 2024 Edition. “Page 24, provision 12, first addendum.” She held the book up with wild excitement. “‘All show choirs must be based out of a high school-level learning institution or similarly youth-oriented establishment such as a community centre’.” Rachel stepped back and spread her arms wide. “You have an auditorium, you have a choir room. You and me can make a glee club!”

Tanisha looked at Rachel long and hard. After a moment, she finally managed to reply. “...why?”

“Beth.”

“I don not know this woman.”

“She’s not a woman, she’s my sister - Shelby’s daughter. Her biggest dream was to join Vocal Adrenaline her freshman year, this year, but then her mom got in the accident and it wasn’t just a dream, it was an obsession, like it was the only thing keeping her together, but they wouldn’t let her in even though I know she’s good.” She had to catch her breath she spoke so fast. “But if I put together a glee club based out of your community centre then she’d obviously get in. It’s not even nepotism, I know she’s that good!”

Tanisha closed her eyes to think on the info dump Rachel just chucked at her. “Okay. Okay, as much as I would love to help out Shelby’s daughter, I don’t think setting up a glee club here is going to solve whatever problems y’all are having.”

“No, trust me, she’s just like me at that age. Show choir is in our blood and as long as we have an outlet we’re fine!” Rachel held her hands together in a pleading motion. “She needs this, Tanisha. And I have money, I can pay for time and space and whatever. You don’t even need to help, you just have to say yes.” She stepped closer. “Please say yes?”

Tanisha looked at Rachel, looked at her beg with her whole body. She looked like she needed this as much as her sister did. “You’d be paying the same amount as anyone else needing space.”

“Yes!”

“And you’ll have to work around anyone who already has that space booked.” If there was anyone, Tanisha thought to herself. It’s not like we’re swimming in community events.

Rachel didn’t seem to care, instead laughing with glee. “Yes! Thank you thank you thank you!” As she ran out of the building to begin planning, she called back over he shoulder. “You won’t regret this!”

“I hope not,” Tanisha muttered under her breath.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a forewarning that I don't know what kind of update schedule is fic is gonna have. I've made too many spreadsheets to abandon it fully, but it's a passion project amongst several others and I can only work on it so often lol.
> 
> That being said, SINGING

Beth spent that whole morning in a daze.

She wanted to think that she was starting to get over the rejection from Vocal Adrenaline well, but anyone looking at her knew the truth. She was still trapped in a haze of defeat and misery. Not even Tony trying to flag her down as she slouched through the hallways could shake her out of the funk.

It didn’t help that she had barely slept at all the night before. She had thoroughly exhausted herself after screaming at Rachel, but her brain had been running a mile a minute and there was no way she could go to sleep in that state. So instead she stayed up late switching between checking twitter, watching tiktok compilations, and creeping on the instagrams of major Vocal Adrenaline members. She didn’t know what she was looking for, but it was all she could focus on. She even ignored a bunch of messages from Monica, which she never did.

So now she struggled to move through class like a zombie, her brain totally fried from the emotions of the past few days. Well, weeks. Months, honestly. It was too much for such a young girl to handle.

“Beth!” came a cry from down the hall, and if she was slightly more out of it she wouldn’t recognize Monica’s voice. She slowly turned around and saw her best friend running up to her. “How are you doing?”

“How do you think?” Beth replied weakly. “My dreams of show choir stardom are over before they even began, and I don’t even have a participation award to show for my efforts.”

Monica blinked a moment. “Right. Well, I mean, you can always try again next year, can’t you?”

Beth sighed. “It’s not the same. Without getting in on the ground level I don’t have a chance to make the kind of impact I need to.” She let out a long sigh. “I bet if I got a chance to talk with the council I could convince them to give me another chance after Rachel distracted me.”

“Actually, I was thinking something along those lines. See I figured you were having a lot of feelings last night because of not getting called back, what with not reading any of my messages or anything...” Beth tried to focus on what Monica was saying, but her focus was everywhere but here and the other girl’s voice faded into background noise. Beth was thinking about Rachel again. It felt like she was being followed everywhere by the woman - her home, her audition, standing outside the school and waving at her through a window...wait a minute.

“You’ve _got_ to be kidding me.”

“No really! I think -”

“Not you.” Beth stormed past Monica to the nearest exit, leaving her friend to stand there in stunned silence.

“Where you even listening to me?” she called after her weakly.

But Beth was already outside. “Stop following me to school!” she snapped as soon as Rachel was within earshot.

“Hey, is that any way to talk to your new show choir coach?” Rachel said with a self-satisfied smirk, holding up a small stack of colourful papers.

“New Show - what are you talking about?” Beth demanded. Then she covered her mouth in shock. “Wait. Did you somehow...what did you do? Am I in Vocal Adrenaline?”

Rachel shook her head. “No, and you don’t want to be, they were very mean to me. You’re going to be in a better show choir.” She handed Beth one of the papers she held, and Beth swiftly grabbed it.

“‘Broadway Star Rachel Berry’ - that’s a stretch - ‘proudly presents an all-new show choir _The Reprisals_ based out of the Kenmore Community Centre’.” Beth shook the paper in Rachel’s face. “What the heck is this?”

Rachel was still smiling. “It’s a new show choir I’m starting. I thought it was totally unfair of those Vocal Adrenaline bullies to not let you into their ranks, but then I realized that there was another way for you to get what you wanted. I made some arrangements and double checked the rules and, well, here you go!” She held Beth by the shoulders. “I’m going to be a glee club coach again, and you’re my first member!”

Beth opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn’t think of a good comeback. And thanks to that opening, another voice butted in.

“Did somebody say ‘All-New Show Choir Directed by Rachel Berry’?” the fashionable redhead said as he seemingly materialized between the two girls. Rachel jumped briefly, but quickly regained her composure. “Sweet Patty Lupone, it is you!” he held out a hand. “Julian Aldrich, your biggest fan and aspiring show choir wunderkind.”

Rachel smiled and shook it. “Very nice to meet you Julian. I take that as an indication that you’d like to audition?”

“Naturally. Here’s my card” - he produced a shiny business card from his lapel pocket and daintily handed it to Rachel, who was a little taken aback at this teenager having a business card ready to go. “All of my contact info is on there. When are you planning on holding auditions?”

“They’ll go from four this afternoon until five, unless we have to run late.” She happily handed him a flyer. “We’re planning on holding meetings every Wednesday and Friday at the same time.”

“Brilliant! I’ll only have to reschedule my hair appointment. My stylist doesn’t have any new gossip anyways.” Julian turned to Beth. “And you must be that sister I’ve heard so much about...” He appraised her up and down. “Well. I’m sure you’re great too. Anyways ladies, happy doing business with you. I’m off to rehearse my audition number now.” Then he chuckled. “Well, who are we kidding, it just needs a few finishing touches. Have a lovely day!” And he was gone as soon as he had appeared.

Rachel turned to Beth, beaming. “See? With Vocal Adrenaline being so stingy with their memberships, we can recruit all the students that wanted to join but didn’t make the cut!”

Beth scoffed. “Wait. You’re making a glee club out of all the...losers and rejects that Vocal Adrenaline didn’t want? How are you supposed to win anything like that?”

Rachel frowned. “I was hoping you’d know better that winning isn’t everything, Beth. Glee Club is about opening yourself up to joy, not just winning competitions. Besides, Vocal Adrenaline is obviously overlooking huge talents right in front of them,” with this she gestured at Beth. “I plan on showing them exactly what they’re missing. Now,” she handed Beth half the stack of flyers. “You should start posting these up along the bulletin boards on the South end of the school, and I’ll get the North end. I’m so excited to see what kind of kids we get!” Then Rachel was gone, running off to start another glee club while Beth stood in the middle of the green with a look of pure befuddlement on her face. After a moment, Monica came up behind her.

“You okay?”

“I have no idea.”

* * *

_3:55 PM, Kenmore Community Centre_

* * *

“Drew, do you wanna sit in on auditions?”

“Watch a bunch of over zealous theatre kids from the Hearing school go ham for Mrs. Berry?” Drew kicked his feet off the desk he had been leaning on and stood up with glee. “I’d love too.”

Tanisha smirked. “Figured you’d say something like that.”

The two began walking down the hall, but had to skid to a stop as another teen ran past them so fast that all they could glance was a short cropping of dark hair before the figure disappeared into the bathroom. Drew looked to his mother, who shrugged. “Must be one of the contenders.”

They kept going, and Drew started walking backwards so he could walk and talk to his mom simultaneously. “Why are you watching though? I thought you let people do their own thing at there events.”

Tanisha shrugged. “Well, Rachel invited me and to be honest I’m a little curious as to what this glee club is able to do. But don’t get me wrong! I’m just observing, I’m not a co-coach or anything.” She sighed. “And don’t let her rope me into anything more, alright?”

Drew just gave a smooth thumbs up in response, which was enough for his mom. The two entered the gymnasium, where Rachel had set up several chairs and a small desk in front of the small stage. They also saw the door to the outside propped open, with a handwritten construction paper sign advertising **Show Choir Auditions Here!** “Oh, you made it! Wonderful.” Rachel finished moving the desk and walked over to them. “I hope seeing the people joining the club will inspire a little more confidence in my little plan here.”

Tanisha quickly interpreted for Drew, then replied. “Well, it can’t be too hard to find a few more kids who sing in this town so I figured ‘what the Hell’.” Drew signed some things, and Tanisha turned back to Rachel. “Yeah, how many are coming? Do you even know?”

Rachel’s smile faltered for just a fraction of a second. “Well, at least one, and he was very excited. I’m hoping word of mouth and the flyers me and Beth passed out will get a few more people interested.” She saw Drew signing more. “This is probably a stupid question but should I start learning ASL while I’m here?”

Tanisha nodded. “Yeah, Drew’s around a lot and you’re gonna need to communicate, or at least know when he’s shit-talking you.”

“I’ll always be shit-talking her. I repeat, where is the famous Beth Corcoran? You’ve mentioned her a lot.” Tanisha interpreted the second part back to Rachel, who sighed.

“I don’t know. I was hoping she’d be here since she technically already auditioned for me and I already told her she’s in. Hopefully she’s jut running late and not totally avoiding me.” In truth, Beth hadn’t replied to any of Rachel’s texts for the rest of the afternoon, and only the first few were even on read. She wanted to try calling her, but before she had the chance Julian burst into the gym.

“Mrs. Berry, I’m ready for my close up!” He strutted over to her and handed her a small sheaf of papers, then quickly climbed onto the stage. “You’ll find my credentials and headshot included as well as sheet music for my audition piece, “There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This” from the seminal Broadway hit _Sweet Charity_.”

Rachel frowned. “Shoot! I knew there was something I forgot. I’m afraid for the time being you’ll have to sing without accompaniment.”

Julian nodded. “No problem whatsoever. I can already hear the notes in my head.” He took a deep breath, and began.

_There’s gotta be something better than this,_  
_There's gotta be something better to do._  
_And when I find me something better to do,_  
_I'm gonna get up, I'm gonna get out_  
_I'm gonna get up, get out and do it!_

As he sang, Julian strode back and forth across the stage, gesturing dramatically with his arms as his voice rang through the gym. As he sang he thought about everything he’d left on the floor of his Vocal Adrenaline audition with the very same song.

_There's gotta be some respectable trade,_  
_There's gotta be something easy to learn._  
_And if I find me something a halfwit can learn,_  
_I'm gonna get up, I'm gonna get out_  
_I'm gonna get up, get out and learn it!_

He slid across the stage on his knees one line, remembering how he’d stumbled ever-so-slightly the first try. On another he took a great leap, showing Mrs. Berry the air he could get when he needed to. Twirling around, he looked her dead in her eyes.

_All these jokers, how I hate them_  
_With their groping, grabbing, clutching, clinching,_  
_Strangling, handling, bumbling, pinching_

Yeah, the Vocal Adrenaline jokers who had rejected him two years in a row now. Julian Aldrich knew his worth, though, and he wasn’t about to let those imbecilic bureaucrats who ran that sorry excuse for a show choir to shut him down. Not when he had a chance to work with The Rachel Berry.

_There's gotta be some life cleaner than this,_  
_There's gotta be some good reason to live._  
_And when I find me some kind of life I can live,_  
_I'm gonna get up!_

Julian jumped straight up and spun around at least three times.

_I’m gonna get out!_

He kicked his leg high in the air, balancing nearly on pointe with his grounded foot to Rachel’s astonishment.

_I’m gonna get up, get out, and live it!_

He ended his audition with another high kick, a spin, and a stunning back handspring that made Rachel’s jaw drop. Julian beamed as he stuck the landing, much better than the tremor that had run through his side at the Vocal Adrenaline attempt. But all that was in the past now, especially with Rachel Berry applauding wildly and her two...co-coaches? Assistants? One of them was definitely his age if not younger, but they also clapped for him.

“Julian that was amazing!” Rachel exclaimed. “No callbacks young man, you are in for sure!”

Julian hooted and pumped his fist, but quickly found his poise again. “Thank you, thank you so much.” He did a quick bow, then climbed down and walked up to Rachel. “If it’s alright with you, I’d like to watch the other auditions. Get a good grasp of my teammate’s abilities from the get go.”

Rachel nodded. “I don’t see a problem with that. I’m not sure when anyone else is showing up though, so it might -”

“Stop everything! The leads are here!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song featured in this chapter: "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This" from _Sweet Charity_. Sung by Julian Aldrich.


	9. Chapter 9

All heads turned to see two girls entering the gym from the same door Julian had used. One of them was a bigger latina girl clad in a bright pink jacket with a green top underneath, her silky black hair tied in a ponytail. The other, a taller dark-skinned girl in a red hijab carrying a stereo. “Sorry we’re late,” she said, “but we wanted to make an entrance.”

Julian grimaced. “Hmmmmaybe open auditions were a mistake, Mrs. Berry. I’m not sure you want these two in the club.”

“Why not?” Rachel asked as she glanced between him and the two new girls. “Do you know them?”

“Oh he knows me alright,” the hijabi girl said as she came closer. “Aaliyah Najm, pleasure to meet you. Julian is just jealous because I stole the lead from him in this year’s summer stage.”

Julian pointed an accusing finger at her. “I would have made an excellent Sarah Brown!”

“In your dreams, sweetie,” the other girl said, butting between the two of them. “You ain’t got a snowballs chance in hell against us.” She turned to Rachel. “I’m Camilla Espinosa, Aaliyah's best friend, partner, and the only person that can keep up with her.”

The two climbed onto the stage before Julian could try and intimidate them anymore, so instead he turned to Rachel. “Listen, they’re fine if you like pop music, but they're very un-polished.”

Tanisha placed her hand on Julian’s shoulder “Boy, you better stop talking because I like these girls already and they’re not even singing yet.” She pressed him down into his seat and sat down behind him, keeping a wary eye on this kid.

“Whenever you’re ready girls!” Rachel called.

Aaliyah and Camilla nodded to each other, and Aaliyah pressed the play button on the stereo. Immediately, jazzy pop music began to spill out.

**Camilla:**   
_You just walk in, I make you smile_   
_It's cool but_   
_You don't even know me_   
_You take an inch, I run a mile_   
_Can't win you're_   
_Always right behind me_

Camilla strutted to the front of the stage, focusing more on singing than dancing. She pointed right at Julian, as if calling him out with the song lyrics, before moving aside to let Aaliyah take centre stage.

**Aaliyah:**   
_And we know that you could go and find some other_   
_Take or leave it or just don't even bother_   
_Caught in a craze_   
_It's just a phase_   
_Or will this be around forever_

Aaliyah’s voice was higher and softer than Camilla’s more powerful style, but as they began to sing together they harmonized in a way only years of practice can provide.

**Aaliyah and Camilla:**   
_Don't you know it's going too fast_   
_Racing so heard you know it won't last_

**Aaliyah:**   
_Don't you know, why can't you see_

**Camilla:**   
_Slow it down, read the sign_   
_So you know just where you're going!_

As the two reached the chorus, they broke out into perfectly rehearsed choreography.

**Aaliyah and Camilla:**   
_Stop right now! Thank you very much_   
_I need somebody with a human touch_   
_Hey you! Always on the run_   
_Gotta slow it down baby, gotta have some fun!_

Drew glanced over at his mom and was a little surprised to see how much she was getting into the number, grooving in her seat and everything. He could feel the beat of the music pulsing through the floorboards and was pretty sure the girls were doing well, but he just wasn’t fully sold on the whole “glee club” thing yet.

**Aaliyah:**   
_Gotta keep it down honey, lay your back on the line_   
_'Cause I don't care about the money, don't be wasting my time_

**Camilla:**   
_You need less speed, get off my case_   
_You gotta slow it down baby, just get out of my face_

**Aaliyah and Camilla:**   
_Stop right now! Thank you very much_   
_I need somebody with a human touch_   
_Hey you! Always on the run_   
_Gotta slow it down baby, gotta have some fun!_   
_Stop right now! Thank you very much_   
_I need somebody with a human touch_   
_Hey you! Always on the run_   
_Gotta slow it down baby, gotta have some fun!_

As Aaliyah gave her all to the final chorus, Camilla backed her up with strong vocal runs.

**Aaliyah (Camilla):**   
_Stop right now! Thank you very much (Stop right now!)_   
_I need somebody with a human touch (We wanna thank you, we wanna thank you)_   
_Hey you! Always on the run (Stop right now!)_   
_Gotta slow it down baby, gotta have some fun! (Thank you very much! Thank you very much!)_

The girls ended right in time with the song and stood stock still to bask in the applause, which Rachel and Tanisha gladly provided. Drew also clapped politely, and even Julian had to give them kudos - after all, they certainly upheld the noble spirit of the Spice Girls even in this day and age.

“Berry if you don’t let them in I’m kicking you out,” Tanisha said with a joking grin.

Rachel shook her head. “I’d kick myself out too. Ladies, you are absolutely accepted!”

The two friends held hands and squeeled with delight. Aaliyah was exceptionally pleased. _I’ve been trying to get into a glee club for ages, she thought to herself. I knew Vocal Adrenaline was out of the question as long as my nemesis Ivy was in charge. Of course Julian is my nemesis as well, but at least he’s tolerable._

Rachel excused herself from the group as the girls celebrated and Julian took a selfie next to the stage. She poked her head outside and looked around, but to her dismay she saw neither additional hopefuls nor Beth. Still, it was early and she was confident that there were plenty of other kids who needed an outlet a little healthier than Vocal Adrenaline.

Back in the gym, Drew stood up and started walking back towards the main building to stretch his legs. He opened the door at the same time another guy did, and the two almost collided with each other. He was a Filipino guy dressed in a plain white t-shirt and a leather jacket, and based on his haircut he was the same dude that ran past Drew and his mom earlier. This guy apologized (probably) and peeked over Drew’s shoulder at the set-up inside, then asked something else. Drew just pointed at his ears and shook his head - not ASL, but a universal pantomime for “dude I can’t hear shit”. The other guy nodded and then mimed singing and then playing a guitar, which was enough to get the idea across. Drew stood to the side and let him in.

“This is auditions, right?” the guy asked. His voice carried through the gym, catching the attention of the others. Rachel herself dashed over from the door and almost stumbled over a chair in her excitement. “Yes! Yes it is, thank you for coming. You are?”

The guy paused for a moment, and you’d think he wasn’t sure of his own name, but then he nodded confidently. “I’m Lucas - er, Luke. Luke Banaag.” His voice was also higher than you’d expect, but Rachel didn’t bat an eye considering she’d spent so much time with Kurt. “Um, weird question, but I saw a guitar in the choir room when I was looking around. Could I borrow that for my audition song?”

Rachel looked at Tanisha, nodded. “Yeah, yeah there’s no problem with that.” She pointed at Rachel. “She’s paying for instruments and time, y’all have free reign over anything in there.

“Awesome!” Luke gave a quick thumbs up and disappeared down the hall, appearing a few moments later holding a simple acoustic guitar. “My dad won’t let me buy one even though I’ve been saving up the past three years,” he said as he zipped over to the stage. “I sneak practices in whenever I can borrow one. I’d like to think I’m a little bit above amateur?”

Rachel smiled. “Well, we can’t wait to hear you play.”

Luke nodded and smiled. “Okay. Thanks.” He took a few deep breaths and began to strum along to a retro rhythm.

**Luke:**   
_You've got your mother in a whirl_   
_She's not sure if you're a boy or a girl_   
_Hey babe, your hair's alright_   
_Hey babe, let's go out tonight_   
_You like me, and I like it all_   
_We like dancing and we look divine_   
_You love bands when they're playing hard_   
_You want more and you want it fast_

_Focus, dude,_ he thought as he sang. _You gotta get more air. As he sang he started to loosen up, bobbing his head and strutting up and down the stage. My binder doesn’t get here for another two weeks, so for now my tits will have to suffocate under bandages. It’s fine though - they won’t notice a thing._

**Luke:**   
_They put you down, they say I'm wrong_   
_You tacky thing, you put them on_   
_Rebel rebel, you've torn your dress_   
_Rebel rebel, your face is a mess_   
_Rebel rebel, how could they know?_   
_Hot tramp, I love you so!_

He let the note linger, then began a smooth guitar solo that lived up to Bowie’s honour. Once his mom told him the song, even Drew got into the performance, easily vibing with Luke’s stage presence and imagining the base thumping along underneath the song.

**Luke:**   
_You've torn your dress, your face is a mess_   
_You can't get enough, but enough ain't the test_   
_You've got your transmission and your live wire_   
_You got your cue line and a handful of ludes_   
_You wanna be there when they count up the dudes_

At this point Luke had gone all-in for the audition, jumping up and down as he played and sang, really feeling the rock in his veins.

**Luke:**   
_And I love your dress_   
_You're a juvenile success_   
_Because your face is a mess_   
_So how could they know?_   
_I said, how could they know?_   
_So what you wanna know_   
_Calamity's child, chi-chi, chi-chi_   
_Where'd you wanna go?_   
_What can I do for you? Looks like you've been there too_   
_'Cause you've torn your dress_   
_And your face is a mess_   
_Ooh, your face is a mess_   
_Ooh, ooh, so how could they know?_   
_How could they know?_

Once he finished, he was a little surprised to see Rachel and the others give him a standing ovation. The two girls clapped excitedly, and the dapper guy seemed pretty impressed with his moves. He rubbed some sweat off his brow and took a few deep breaths. _They really like me!_ he called out internally, but he played things super cool on the outside.

“Every glee club needs at least one good guitar player, and I think we found our guy.” Rachel bounced with excitement. “Lucas, welcome to The Reprisals!”

“Thank you!” he called back. “Thank you so much.”

The four students milled about as the rest of the hour ticked on, Tanisha showing them were everything was in the community centre and Drew showing them some basic ASL (which Rachel watched from the corner of her eye, but she knew she’d have to check a YouTube video on it at some point). She was waiting for more people to audition, but namely Beth. And yet when 5 PM rolled around and the kids let her know they had to head home, they ended up being the only four auditionees. Rachel bid them goodnight and told them she looked forward to seeing them on Friday.

“I’m going to wait around and see if Beth comes by,” Rachel told Tanisha after the others left. “I told her I’d meet her here and then we’d go out for dinner.”

“Alright. I’m here for another hour. I’m sure she’ll be here soon,” Tanisha said sympathetically. Rachel could tell that she didn’t believe her own words, though, and Rachel didn’t blame her. All her host new about Beth so far was that she was allegedly obsessed with show choir, and yet had seemingly no interest in joining the one that had been made specifically for her.

_Where are you?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs featured in this chapter:  
\- "Stop" by Spice Girls. Sung by Aaliyah Najm and Camilla Espinosa.  
\- "Rebel Rebel" by David Bowie. Sung by Luke Banaag.


	10. Chapter 10

While Rachel watched auditions, Beth had gone to football practice.

It's not like she had _planned _on skipping out on Rachel's glee club - the one that, in a way, was only made for her sake - it's just that when school ended and the choice came down to making her way to the community centre or going literally anywhere else, well...the anywhere else won out. So she meandered the halls for a few minutes before finding herself on the green behind the school. Some other students were there casually, but most of the space was taken up by boys in white and blue practice pads running laps or practising throws. So Beth eventually made her way towards the bleachers and sat down near the bench to watch them. At the very least it gave her time to think.

_Rachel's glee club...The Reprisals? Yeah...should I even bother? It's not like being rejected has permanently destroyed my desire to perform, but it feels weird to get a free pass into this one. Oh my gosh, she's probably trying to bribe her way back into my good graces. What do I even say to that? "I'm so happy the only way I get to compete in the show choir circuit this year is because of a loophole you found?" Not to mention I'd be stuck there with a bunch of people who messed up their chance to get into Vocal Adrenaline. Well, maybe I could ask Monica...ugh, I barely even spoke to her today. I bet she hates me too. Is that my fault? No, it's gotta be Rachel's somehow._

"Hey! Beth!" She was shaken from her thoughts when the voice called to her, and when she glanced up she saw Tony jogging towards her. He too was in the practice pads, already sweating in the September sun and a sweatband wrapped around his head.

"Hey Tony," she said with a bit of a nervous smile. "How's it going?"

"I should ask you the same thing," he said as he walked over and sat on the bench to face her. "Last time I saw you you were pretty broken up about not getting into VA."

Beth died a little inside. "Right. Yeah, I probably looked like a mess."

"It wasn't that bad," Tony answered kindly. "I wanted to say something to make you feel better but you ran off too fast, and I never got your number. Still, it looks like you're doing better now?"

Beth nodded. "Yeah. Maybe. I'm still processing I guess. It's just this on top of everything else in my life." She grimaced again, worried she was on the cusp of oversharing. But Tony didn't seem to mind instead he took a swig from his water bottle, then looked right at her.

"I won't pry. But I also don't gossip. So if you want to tell me anything, go for it."

"Thanks, but I hardly know you." Beth bit her lip awkwardly. "I barely know anyone here, for that matter. I only had one from coming in, and I've probably pissed her off after giving her the cold shoulder the past few days."

"Y'all had a fight?"

Beth sighed. "No. Not yet, at least. Just me being all up in my feelings."

Tony nodded. "I get that. I once went a month without talking to my best friend because he said my favourite _Dragon Ball Z_ character was stupid.."

Beth giggled. "Really? That was it?"

Tony shrugged. "I mean, we were five at the time, it was a major betrayal. But we're good now." He turned and waved at the Japanese guy running down the field. "Hey Bradley!"

"Hey!" came a distant reply as the guy turned to wave back, and then collided directly with a tackle dummy and went down. Tony and Beth both flinched, but soon enough the guy was back on his feet.

"Yeah he doesn't have much of an...awareness of anything, but he's a good dude." He turned back to Beth. "So, you're a singer who doesn't have a place to sing. What are you gonna do now? Start a band?"

"Ha. Maybe I should." She absently picked at the hem of her coat. "Actually I do technically have an in with another club...I'm just not sure if I want to go."

"Really? You should definitely go! If I had the chance to join one a show choir I would."

Beth nodded. "Right, busy with football and schoolwork. And from what I hear, if you do get into Vocal Adrenaline you really don't have time for any other extracurriculars." As she spoke, her ears perked up at the sound of approaching voices. She looked in the direction of the school, and Tony followed her gaze. A mass of students were exiting the school in what looked like army formation, marching as they followed three leaders. The closer they got, Beth started to make out the three in front. "Wow, speak of the devils."

"Huh?"

"Those three in front are the students in charge of the choir. Looks like they're practising out here too."

The formation got closer and now others were looking as they paraded across the green, repeating the leaders called back to them.

"I don't know what I've been told!"

"_I don't know what I've been told!_"

"Vocal Adrenaline wins the gold!"

"_Vocal Adrenaline wins the gold!_"

"If you start to drag us down!"

"_If you start to drag us down!_"

"We will put you in the ground!"

"_We will put you in the ground!_"

"Scales! Do re mi fa so la ti do!"

"_Do re my fa so la ti do!_"

"That is the weirdest thing I've ever seen out here," Tony mused as the choir continued on. "I don't think they pulled this last year."

"They must be stepping their game up. Ohio's a hotbed of show choir activity, you can never let your guard down." As Beth watched, she saw one of the girls in formation start waving in her direction...no, _at_ her. "What the..?"

The formation stopped and the leaders announced a ninety-second break, and as soon as they did the girl started running to her. "Beth! Beth look, this is what I was trying to tell you!" Monica called as she covered the distance to the bleachers.

Beth could hardly breath. "I...I can see that!" she sputtered out. "...how?"

Monica beamed. "They said my audition was flawless! Omg, it was so awesome Beth. Ivy even thinks I might be getting a solo at sectionals!"

Beth's throat went dry. "Oh. Wow, that's...that's amazing."

Monica frowned. "You're jealous, aren't you?" she pouted.

"What? No!" Beth said a little too loudly. "I mean, maybe a little, but in a good way. You're gonna be great Monica." She reached out and gingerly gave her best friend's shoulder a squeeze. "I can't wait to see you on stage."

"Same!" Monica glanced over to the rest of the choir. "I gotta go now. We only get two breaks during practice so I need to make them count. But we can talk on the weekend! Bye!" And then Beth's friend was gone, disappearing into the masses. Beth just stood there, still a little in shock. After a moment, Tony approached her.

"Was that the best friend you were talking about?"

Beth nodded. "Yeah...how could she do this to me?"

Tony frowned. "I mean, I don't think she really _did_ anything to you..."

Beth started pacing. "I can't believe this keeps happening to me. My best friend goes and joins the same glee club that rejected me, my sister is trying to buy my adoration, my mom is still stuck in a coma -"

"Whoa, wait!" Tony held his hands up. "_Your_ mom's the one in a coma?!"

Beth stopped and looked at him. "Excuse me?"

"Uh, everyone at the school knows that somebody's mom was in a car accident and is stuck at the hospital, they just don't know...who."

Beth huffed. "Great. Great! I was supposed to be a star this year and now I'm just the girl with a coma mom. Perfect!" She started storming off.

"Beth, wait, that came out wrong! It's not a big deal, my parents -"

"Tony, I know you're just trying to help but you're just a guy I ran into - _literally_ \- and I need to figure this out on my own. I'll see you later."

As she disappeared across the green, Tony watched her leave not sure what to say. Bradley ran up beside him shortly after. "Who's the cute girl you were flirting with?"

"We weren't flirting," Tony sighed. "We were just talking."

"Uh huh. You get her number?"

Tony kicked himself.

* * *

Rachel was pacing back and forth in front of the door to the community centre when she finally got a text back from Beth, and all it said was that she'd called a cab and went home on her own. So she was a little miffed when she got back herself. "Elizabeth Corcoran, I know we're still trying to figure our dynamic out, but you need to tell me where you are and what you're doing so I don't start to panic!" She stormed into the dining kitchen and saw Beth sitting on the counter, her phone in one hand and an open box of cookies in the other. Beth barely glanced up as she took another cookie and chowed down on it. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"Sorry I didn't text," Beth growled back.

Rachel just sighed, pushing any anger she had at the kid back down. This wasn't the time to explode at her. "Glee auditions went well," she said instead. "We only got four members, mind you, but I think they're a strong four. A good foundation to build the club on."

"A foundation of losers?" Beth snarked back.

This struck a nerve with Rachel. "You know, maybe you were perfect for Vocal Adrenaline, because you really seem to love writing off anyone you don't approve of. But at some point you need to realize that these kids you're calling losers? They're actually really talented. And you're in that group too, in case you forgot."

Beth hopped off the counter. "Oh, I'm not a loser. I didn't get rejected, I got _robbed_. I didn't get in, but _Monica_ did."

Rachel had to pause and think. "Monica..? Right, best friend. Wait, what are you talking about?"

"We were going to audition together but they split is up into different groups and she went first. I'm not saying Monica is bad but I'm obviously better than her, so she must have done something to make them not want me."

Rachel crossed her arms and eyed Beth up and down. "You know, I'm no stranger to wanting the spotlight, but that sounds pretty paranoid even to me."

"Like you would know," Beth grumbled as she stomped passed her towards her room. "You barely know anything about my life!" She pointed an accusing finger at the woman. "You are _not_ my sister, you are a glorified foster parent."

Rachel threw her hands up. "You know what! Yeah. Sure. Call me all those things. But I do know one thing about you - you _love_ singing. And dancing and performing. I saw it in your face when you auditioned and I saw it in your eyes in all the videos Shelby sent of you."

This caught Beth off guard. "What videos?"

"Shelby recorded all your performances," Rachel answered. "I thought you knew? She'd send them to me and Quinn and Will to show us how good you were." She cautiously took a step forward, not wanting to spook Beth, but the teen stayed unmoving. "And you are good. And you'll be even better with a whole glee club there to have your back."

Beth swallowed. "But what if I'm not good? What if Vocal Adrenaline was right?"

Rachel smiled warmly. "Beth, don't stop believing in yourself just because somebody told you weren't good enough to join their little club.”

The words hit Beth like a brick, as she flashed back to her mom saying the same thing the night of the accident. It was in that moment that she saw how much Rachel and Shelby resembled each other.

"I'll think about it," Beth said softly as she entered her room and shut the door.

Rachel waited a moment, then went to the door. "I'm going to heat up some leftovers for dinner. Will you come out for them or are you going to take them in your room?"

"I'll take them in here."

"Alright." Rachel silently cheered. No hesitation, no screaming. They weren't on perfect terms yet, but it seemed like she and Beth might finally be on the way to being civil around each other.

Now all she needed was eight more musically inclined teens.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might be a good time to mention that Beth's opinions are not my own - she's pretty judgmental, and can easily make snap decisions about people's abilities without thinking it through.

_If I'm going to join Rachel's glee_ _club_, Beth thought, _I'm going to need to find out who else got in. Maybe the four she has aren't as bad as I feared, but I need to know where I stand up against them.__ And that means scoping them out on social media._

_First up: Aaliyah Najm. According to Facebook she's been in Akron all her life. Dad runs a grocery store and mom runs the family bakery. Aaliyah has been a mainstay in basically every theatre-related program both inside and outside of school since she was in fifth grade. So a late bloomer, but that's not always a problem. And she was lead in _Guys and Dolls_ this past summer - I thought I recognized her from somewhere! She did pretty good considering that show doesn't have a lot of big numbers for her, or anyone really. She's good, but not so good that she'd hog the spotlight. Excellent._

_Then there's Camilla Espinosa, Aaliyah's best friend since...well, as far as I can tell, since her family moved here from Tampa. Camilla hasn't exactly made a name for herself in any of the places that Aaliyah has, but she shows up in all the photos...hmm. I wonder if there's something going on there? I'll file that away for later. Oh, she has a YouTube page!_

Beth clicked through Camilla's videos, only listening to them for a few moments to get a feel for the girl. There were some of her singing, usually pop songs or R&B, and a few standard vlogs, but a majority of them were of her dancing. She popped and locked and krumped across the screen, staying deep in the pocket and never showing any signs of doubt (_Though I imagine the comments haven't been kind to her, since they're turned off on every video_).

_Okay, so those two seem to have it together. Who else was there? Right, Julian Aldrich. This kids been in plenty of theatre programs too, but not as much as Aaliyah and I don't recall ever hearing him. Good, he won't be as much competition. Looks like he's also on the gymnastics team - I didn't even know Carmel had one of those. Instagram seems to be mostly about fashion, so he might be better off pointed towards the costuming than the stage._

_The only one I can't find is this "Luke" guy. He's mentioned in pictures from those other three and Rachel brought him up too, but I can't find anybody by that name on insta or facebook or anything. No tags, no digital footprint, no way of knowing how good _or _how bad he is. But he plays guitar, so at least we're guaranteed some backing music._

This is how Beth spent her morning - barely focusing in class, digging up as much as she could about her potential teammates. She hadn't' been concerned about background checks on Vocal Adrenaline (those were done by the Council anyways), but she didn't want to be flying blind. Still, she felt like she needed something or someone to back her up if she were to join them. A friend or at least acquaintance.

Lunch rolled around and when Beth entered the hallways she immediately began scanning the crowds for Monica. She knew she had a class in one of the nearby rooms...a-ha! Beth could spot her bestie from a mile away, easily. She ran over and hopped in front of her with a smile. "Hey girl!"

Monica jumped back a little. "Hey. Are you doing any better today? Yesterday you seemed a little...off."

Beth shook her head. "What? No, I was fine. I was just distracted. Remember how my sister was starting a glee club in that old community centre down the street?"

"Yeah?"

"Well she asked me to join. Obviously, if she's building it from the ground up then she'd need someone with my talents. But I wasn't sure if I wanted in because, as much as I wanna be on stage this year, I don't want to be stuck with a bunch of kids I hate."

Monica nodded slowly. "Right. Sure."

"Exactly! So, I was thinking, if I joined...maybe you should too?" Beth beamed hopefully.

Monica frowned. "I'm already in Vocal Adrenaline though."

Beth waved the comment off. "You can quit. I mean, that was supposed to be our thing. What if we make The Reprisals our thing too?"

"I mean, if you're so concerned with the quality of the group then why are you asking me to come with you?"

Beth smirked. "Well I don't want to go in there alone. I'd need somebody to stand by my side and help me put them in place if they ever stop listening to me."

Monica raised an eyebrow. "Okay, so you haven't joined yet but you think you'd be the captain by default?"

"Well it's my sister's club. She better make me captain."

"And I'd just be your yes-girl."

Beth grimaced. "No! You'd obviously be important too. Definitely at least a few solo lines during competitions."

Monica sighed and stepped back. "Right. A solo here and there while Beth takes the spotlight." She paused, trying to find the right words without sounding too cruel. "I'm sorry that you didn't get into Vocal Adrenaline, but when _I did_, they immediately recognized how good I was. And when they talked about me getting solos, it wasn't just a few lines. It was whole songs. Who set lists even!" Beth looked dumbfounded, but Monica pressed on. "Look, it sucks not being able to be in there with you but I'm pretty sure that would never happen if you were there to overshadow me."

"Where is this coming from?!" Beth sputtered.

"From our whole lives!" Monica cried. "It's always been the Beth show featuring Monica. Whenever you talk about being a star or being in the spotlight, it's always you there on your own and me there to cheer you on. You're always telling me what songs to sing and expecting me to follow you wherever you go, but now I actually get to think for myself with people that support me!" Monica had to take a breath, worried that if she didn't something inside her might snap and she'd start to tear up. "I'm really good Beth. Like, you've said that before, but now I actually _believe_ it. I didn't realize how great I was until I realized I didn't always have to play second fiddle to you." Monica turned her back to get to her next class, but Beth reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Monica -"

"If you wanna be as special as you act, go join your sister's club. But don't be surprised if other people in there want to be special too." She pulled her arm free and stalked off.

Beth stood agape as she stared after her, trying to process this. There had been a lot to process all week and she was almost at her limit. _What had Vocal Adrenaline said to Monica to convince her that _I'm_ the problem?_ The question gnawed at her brain as she wandered around before finding a spot on the stairwell to eat by herself. _Whatever's happened over the past few days has somehow turned her against me. And without her, I don't have anyone. Well, Rachel sort of, but she barely knows me even if she is trying. Damn, the only other kid in school that I've even talked to_ _is..._ "Tony!"

Beth jumped to her feet and started checking social media, quickly finding his instagram and whispering a quick "yes!" when she saw that he had posted recently. It was from the cafeteria, up by the east entrance, and she quickly set off in that direction.

When she arrived there she saw Tony happily eating and chatting with his friends on the football team, along with a few cheerleaders. Their obvious popularity and status was intimidating, but after a few deep breaths Beth had the courage to approach them. She came up behind Tony and carefully tapped him on the shoulder. He turned with a start, but when he saw her he broke out into a bright smile.

"Hey Beth! What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you. Can we talk in private for a little?" She didn't wait for a response, taking his arm and pulling him away from the table. A few of his buddies went "ooh" teasingly, and Tony strained against her grasp just long enough to grab the last few bites of his sandwich, and then Beth had pulled him outside.

"You said you can sing."

"Yeah, yeah, but I already told you there's not really anywhere I can go with it."

"Yes there is! You were just too focused on Vocal Adrenaline to think of other clubs!"

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Other...clubs?"

"The Reprisals rehears on Wednesdays and Fridays. Football practice is on Tuesdays and Thursdays. You had practice last night but that was just to catch everyone up, it wasn't a regular thing." She caught Tony giving her a weird look. "What? I checked the practice schedule on the way here, it's posted right outside the gym. Anyways, my sister made a new glee club in the Kenmore Community Centre and you're gonna join!"

Tony grimaced. "Wait, hold on. Are you recruiting me?"

"Yep!"

He sighed. "Look, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but me liking to sing and me being able to sing, y'know, _well_? Two totally different skills."

Beth frowned. "You told me that you would love to join a glee club if you had the time."

"Yeah, but I also told you that I don't sing at the same level as people like you. That's why I didn't even bother auditioning."

Beth eyed him up and down. "I don't believe you."

"What?"

"I see it in your eyes. You wanna sing. You wanna perform! I know because I've got the same look in my eyes that you did, just a for a second, when I told you I wanted you in." She held her hand out. "Give me your phone."

"No?"

"Pleeeeaaaase?" Beth begged while batting her eyes. Tony still didn't want to, but had a feeling she wasn't going to stop unless he submitted, so he pulled it out of his pocket and handed it over.

Beth started going through his music. "When you sing, what kind of songs do you go for?"

"Uh, I really like rock I guess?"

"Awesome." She selected a song and cranked the volume as sweet guitar riffs began to emerge. "Sing along and I'll tell you if you're any good."

"No, people will hear me!"

"C'mon, you can do it!"

Tony sighed, but he did love singing along to this song. So he took a few deep breaths and did a quick shake of his nerves before beginning to sing.

_I was born long ago_  
_I am the chosen I'm the one_  
_I have come to save the day_  
_And I won't leave until I'm done_

Beth nodded along as she listened to him. Even though he was singing with assistance, she could tell he was talented. She smiled, and seeing her smile caused Tony to smile himself and sing a little louder.

_So that's why you've got to try_  
_You got to breath and have some fun_  
_Though I'm not paid I play this game_  
_And I won't stop until I'm done_

It was hard to keep from starting to dance too, and before he knew it he was sliding towards Beth and leaning over her.

_But what I really want to know is..._

The doors opened and someone walked through, Tony backing away from Beth but continuing to sing. The interrupting student didn't even notice.

_Are you gonna go my way?_  
_And I got to got to know!_

Tony wanted nothing more than to start dancing around the courtyard, but he was too embarrassed to start doing so at school, so instead he imagined it. He would take Beth's hand and pull her towards where other students were eating at the outside tables, just like she'd pulled him away from his lunch. Then he'd jump on top of an unoccupied table and start to bust a move for her.

_I don't know why we always cry  
_ _This we must leave and get undone  
_ _We must engage and rearrange  
_ _And turn this planet back to one_

He'd jump off the table and spin around, taking her hand to do a quick little dance with her.

_So tell me why we got to die  
_ _And kill each other one by one  
_ _We've got to love and rub-a-dub  
_ _We've got to dance and be in love_

He'd pull her in close, their faces only a few inches apart, and look deep into her eyes.

_But what I really want to know is..._  
_Are you gonna go my way?  
_ _'Cause baby I got to know! Yeah..._

Tony snapped back to reality as he remembered that was all in his head. At least, the dancing was. Judging by Beth's smile, the singing was legit.

"You're very talented!" she said giddily.

Tony screwed his brow. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah! I would know, I'm very talented too." She stepped towards him. "Please join, I can't do this alone. I need somebody who I know is gonna be in my corner."

"Uh, yesterday you told me off because you didn't know me well enough."

"Well, I'm apologizing for that. I mean yes, I don't know you as well as Monica, but obviously she has jumped ship to Vocal Adrenaline. And even though we've only spoken a few times you've never been anything but kind and understanding." She held her hand out. "I want to be your teammate, or at the very least your friend."

Tony racked his brain for an excuse, a reason to decline, but he had nothing. And honestly, he didn't entirely want to turn her down. Was he completely unacquainted with the needs of singing on stage, performing for a huge audience? Absolutely. Was he as good as the other kids in that club were? Probably not. But Beth's hope was infectious and her praising his singing was something that he never thought he'd hear from anyone.

"I think I can swing both," he answered as he shook her hand. "You said Wednesdays and Fridays right?"

"Right!" Beth grinned as she went back inside. "So I'll see you tomorrow!" She swung the door opened and disappeared from view, but Tony didn't stop thinking about her all day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song featured in this chapter: "Are You Gonna Go My Way" by lenny Kravitz. Sung by Tony.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's gonna feel a little rushed, but this was the best spot I could think of to end the episode. Otherwise I was worried it was going to feel bloated and like I was just padding things out.

Rachel sat at Shelby's bedside, holding her limp hand in her own.

"Sorry I haven't been here as often as I'd like. I was trying to focus on Beth, and then other stuff just kept coming up...not really an excuse though. Still, better late than never, right?" She gave a weak chuckle, but it didn't land. "Sorry. I'm still trying to get the hang of things. I wanna ask how you did it but I already know - you're her mom. You've been there for her since day one and have done everything to give her a better life. And you did. I just wish I could be a better sister to her." She sighed. "I love the life I've lived with my dads and my friends and everything, but part of me wonders what it would be like if I'd stayed in touch with the two of you just...just a little bit more. If I'd be able to understand her better. But of course if I start thinking about all those sliding doors then I start to think about how you wouldn't be looking for another child, how Quinn and Puck would be raising Beth instead and how that could effect them...I guess the way it worked out was better than most alternatives.

"Still, I wish you could see us now. I started a new Glee Club, I don't know if Beth told you. I'm calling it 'The Reprisals'. Like the musical term? When a song repeats but it's arranged different, and still new? That's what this feels like. I mean, I coached New Directions a decade ago, but that still felt like me holding the reigns until Mr. Schue got back. Here, this is me building it from scratch, trying to make something just as amazing as we were...I made it for Beth. She deserves a chance to be on stage, to have that spotlight. But the other kids there, the ones that Vocal Adrenaline cut, they are just as amazing as she is." Rachel squeezed Shelby's hand. "I can't wait for you to wake up and be able to see them. It's going to be amazing."

She sat in silence with her mother for another fifteen minutes or so, then finally decided it was time to get up and leave. As she exited, she almost ran into Beth. "Oh!"

"Ah!" Beth replied with a start. "I didn't expect to see you here."

Rachel looked down and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, I...I try to avoid coming to visit her when you might be here. I know you prefer to be with Monica or just on your own in there."

Beth nodded. "Right. I guess that makes sense. For some reason I...I just thought you weren't visiting."

Rachel frowned. "Ooh, harsh. But considering how we've been with each other the past week it's a fair assessment." She stepped to the side. "Go on in. If you want I can give you a ride home when you're ready."

"Thanks," Beth answered. "That would be...nice." She stepped past the older woman and went right to the seat that had been unoccupied just moments before.

"Hey mom. It's me again." She sat there in silence for a long time, not sure what words to use or if she even had something to say. "I told you about Rachel's glee club, right? If I didn't then she certainly did. I wasn't sure if I was going to join because the whole thing just seemed like a scheme to get me to like her more." She scoffed. "Honestly? It still does kinda. Like, I know she wouldn't be doing this if I hadn't gotten into Vocal Adrenaline." She paused again, trying to figure out what she was trying to say. "But when she talks to me about it...she talks about show choir the same way you do. Gosh, she talks and looks so much like you and I can't believe I couldn't see that when she first came here. She's no replacement for you, but at least she's trying to make me happy. And it has been a long time since I've been happy." She reached out and took her mom's hand. "I really need you to wake up. But I don't know how long that's going to take. So in the meantime, I'm going to try and hold onto this happiness for as long as I can. And I think for me to do that, I need to join that club."

She closed her eyes, and reached for memories of all the times her mom had told her to break a leg. She imagined what it would sound like if her mom said it now. It wasn't much. But it was enough.

* * *

The ride home was silent at first, but eventually Beth spoke up. "So I'm gonna join The Reprisals -"

"Really?!" Rachel squeeled with delight, quickly turning to flash a huge smile at Beth. "That's wonderful!"

"Yeah," Beth replied, not nearly as excited but still happy. "And I found a guy who's interested in joining too."

"Wonderful!" Rachel exclaimed again, causing Beth to wonder if she was making a bad decision, throwing her lot in with someone so...gleeful. "That brings us up to six. See? We're already halfway there. And I can't wait for you to meet the other members tomorrow. They really are great singers."

"So you've mentioned." Beth stared out the window. "Do we know what song we're singing yet?"

"I'm glad you asked." She reached behind her and grabbed a sheaf of paper from the back seat. "I actually grabbed a bunch of music for us on the way to the hospital today. We're gonna try a dry run tomorrow, but everyone else already has a copy so you should get acquainted with it as well. And send a copy to your friend too!"

Beth eyed the piece. "This is from like, way back in the 80s."

"Yeah, and?" Rachel scoffed. "Your audition piece was over twenty years old. Some songs are just timeless. Besides, every glee club needs an anthem that unites them. When I was in New Directions it was 'Don't Stop Believin''. For you guys, I was thinking this works just as well."

As Beth continued through the piece and pictured what it would sound like, she began to nod. "Hmm...yeah, I guess this is a pretty good song." She imagined the pulsing baseline and synth tones in the background.

* * *

The song stayed in her head all through the next day, even as she walked down the road to where the community centre stood. She hadn't even set foot in it before, and now all of a sudden she was getting ready to be a part of it's flagship glee club. As she peered through the window into the building, she spotted a few other students already in there.

**Beth:** _  
Looking out a dirty old window  
_ _Down below the cars in the city go rushing by  
_ _I sit here alone and I wonder why..._

On the other side of the building, Tony had just arrived. His friends had asked him where he was headed, but he had lied and said his mom wanted him home for dinner. He was still a little nervous about telling them the truth, because if he did then they might ask him to sing and...look, even if he was confident around Beth, he was still a little worried about how he'd sound to everyone else.

**Tony:**   
_Friday night and everyone's moving_   
_I can feel the heat but it's soothing, heading down._   
_I search for the beat in this dirty town..._

Swinging the door open, Beth found herself in a building that had seen better days, but the warm lights up above made it feel much homier than she expected. She walked through the halls and peered into the choir room. It was empty, but from the gym she heard the sound of singing.

**Beth:  
** _Downtown the young ones are going!_

Tony opened the door and found himself in the gymnasium. At another door he spotted Beth, also just entering, but on the makeshift stage he saw four other teens singing and dancing. One of them slammed on the guitar, and in the back an adult woman was playing the piano four the students.

**Tony:  
** _Downtown the young ones are growing!_

**The Reprisals (Beth and Tony):**   
_We're the kids in America (whoa!)_   
_We're the kids in America (whoa!)_   
_Everybody live for the music-go-round!_

Clearly knowing that these were the two new members they had been told about, the kids onstage quickly gestured for Tony and Beth to join the number with them.

**Beth:**   
_Bright lights, the music gets faster_   
_Look, boy, don't check on your watch, not another glance_   
_I'm not leaving now, honey, not a chance_

She smiled at Tony as he began to dance along with Luke and Julian, and he couldn't stop himself from smiling widely back at her dancing along with Aaliyah and Camilla.

**Tony:**   
_Hot-shot, give me no problems_   
_Much later, baby, you'll be saying nevermind_   
_You know life is cruel, life is never kind_

**Beth:**   
_Kind hearts don't make a new story!_

**Tony and Beth:**   
_Kind hearts don't grab any glory!_

**The Reprisals (Beth and Tony):**   
_We're the kids in America (whoa!)_   
_We're the kids in America (whoa!)_   
_Everybody live for the music-go-round! (We go!)  
_

**The Reprisals**:  
_Na na na-na na na_  
_Na na na-na na, sing!_  
_Na na na-na na na_  
_Na na na-na na!  
Na-na na!  
_

Tanisha watched the kids as she kept on accompanying them from the piano. She had to admit, she had her doubts about this enterprise, but the happiness on these kids' faces (not to mention the cheque that Mrs. Berry had handed over that morning) where making her feel a lot better about letting them use the centre. Meanwhile, Tony took Beth's hand and pulled her close to him.

**Tony:  
** _Come closer, honey, that's better_  
_Got to get a brand-new experience, feeling right._  
_Oh, don't try to stop, baby, hold me tight!_

**Beth:  
** _Outside a new day is dawning_  
_Outside suburbia's sprawling everywhere_  
_I don't want to go, baby_

The club hadn't noticed Rachel there, actually there since the beginning, smiling as she watched them perform and recording the whole thing on her phone.

**The Reprisals (Beth and Tony):  
** _New York to east California_  
_There's a new wave coming, I warn ya_  
_We're the kids in America (whoa!)_  
_We're the kids in America (whoa!)_  
_Everybody live for the music-go-round (Let's go!)  
_

**The Reprisals**:  
_Na na na-na na na_  
_Na na na-na na, sing!_  
_Na na na-na na na_  
_Na na na-na na!  
Na-na na!  
_

As Luke began to shred on his guitar, Drew looked from the back of the gym. He felt the music pulse through the air and wondered if any of these kids were as good as Mrs. Berry made them out to be. Rachel posted the recording of the kids (her kids?) and posted it to social media, happily announcing the official formation of The Reprisals. As the end of the song echoed in their heads, all the members shared the post themselves.

**The Reprisals:**   
_We're the kids  
_ _We're the kids  
_ _We're the kids in America!_

Monica saw it pop up on Beth's feed, and despite the harsh words she'd given her earlier, she was happy for her. The Vocal Adrenaline Council, on the other hand, exchange glances of concern as they watched it play out. Bradley saw the post appear on Tony's insta, but he didn't quite register that it was his friend in there. Still, he shared it since he knew his girlfriend liked the song, and when his girlfriend saw it she showed it to her little sister.

**The Reprisals:**   
_We're the kids  
_ _We're the kids  
_ _We're the kids in America!_

The post travelled further than that, though. A young man dressed in a Catholic School uniform ran down the halls to find his older sister, eager to show her what he'd found. In the halls of Dalton Academy (Akron Branch), a large boy watched the video. Slowly a smirk crept across his face.

**The Reprisals:**   
_We're the kids  
_ _We're the kids  
_ _We're the kids in America!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song featured in this chapter: "Kids in America" by Kim Wilde. Sung by Beth, Tony, and The Reprisals.
> 
> Next time: "Back-Up"! Featuring transfer students, cheerleaders, and candy stores!


End file.
